Time Skip Travels
by OftheNewMoon
Summary: Sequel to The Other Daughter. What does The Sand Sibs, The Konoha Twelve, and Kiritsu do during the time-skip before Shippuden? An ally to Akatsuki is introduced, and a visit to Kirigakure by an 'unnamed' Root agent to kick this one off. Rated for safety
1. Intro: Akatsuki Ally?

**Introduction:**

**Takaya and Akatsuki: How did **_that_** happen?**

_***This takes place a few months before Naruto becomes a Genin to a point during the time-skip. Warning: Lots of swearing and hints at lemon, so you can stop reading after the point where you see: __**Unofficial End**__ if you don't like that kind of thing, but the last bit will be continued in 'Chapter Fourteen: A Desert Rose and Family'.***_

A lightening streak crossed the sky, and Sasori sighed. The brat they'd picked up was complaining about everything and everything the bad weather offered.

"This weather is damn awful, but the lighting is a form of my art; instantaneous un." Deidara, though fourteen, was the 'criminal child' taken into Akatsuki.

And Sasori had the honor of making this brat his partner, whom he disagreed with from the moment they met. "Art is eternal brat."

"Danna." The kid frowned, as did the man hidden inside the puppet. "You've got it all wrong. You see, art is something you should experience in an instant yeah!"

"I don't want to spend the next day's journey to HQ listening to you two argue." Kisame said, and since he was ahead of them, they saw that he was reaching for his large and bandaged sword. "So make yourself useful Newbie, and pitch a tent."

"Why are we stopping un?" The teen asked.

"Itachi-san is informing Leader that we have _you_." The shark-man said, getting a wince out of the blond bomber, and revealing his pointed teeth in a grin. "Still hurts being beat by him huh?"

"Shut up yeah, I'll pitch a damn tent." He grumbled, making a few hand seals and creating a cave out of rock. Climbing in, he made himself comfortable and tried to get some sleep. He'd had a long, wet day and was in a foul mood.

Later, the puppet master clambered inside the cave and saw the teen fast asleep.

"Great, now I have to wake the brat up." He muttered, and used chakra strings to pull him to his feet.

"Danna, what's the big idea!" He yelled, abruptly awake.

"You've got your first assignment from Leader." He dropped the teen.

"What does he want?" He brushed himself off and got to his feet, strapping on his belt.

Internally, the puppet master sighed and wished lightning would strike the kid once he got outside. "You have to apprehend a person that could become an enemy or ally. Leader says she's strong, but is in bad condition and shouldn't be too much trouble."

Surprisingly, a grin split the kid's face. "Sasori danna, I'm going to prove to you that my art is the true art form by defeating her."

"Whatever brat."

Deidara gleefully put on his new cloak and walked out into the rain, following the direction Sasori'd pointed him in, slipping in the mud occasionally and cursing 'old rags' and 'blue freak' and 'Genjutsu-sucker'.

Leaning against a tree, he looked around, and froze when he saw the woman. She was older than him, soaking wet, and covered in mud. In the places that were mud-free, he could see she had waist-length and medium-brown hair, and was wearing a black kimono of some sort.

Another fact; she carried a whip that had several tails, and a sword was strapped to her back. It had a bright red casing and looked roughly four and a half feet long.

She seemed to be sulking in a puddle. "Why _me_? I'm lost… and hungry…and tired…"

'Here's my chance…' He reached towards his pouch, to flick his hand away when a shuriken brushed past his knuckles and imbedded itself in the tree trunk next to his him.

"**Who are you and what do you want?"** She demanded in a voice _very_ different than the one he'd heard her use previously. **"No one attacks a Shinigami unless they're incredibly stupid or a Hollow."**

He changed positions and shook his head in confusion. 'What is she _talking _about?"

A set of shuriken flew at him, forcing him to dodge again.

"Damn un.." He pulled out a kunai. 'I'm no good in close-range, and she seems to be a master of it.'

"Come out come out wherever you are…" She pulled out her whip, and out of the corner of his eye he noticed that there was _seven _extensions on the whip. **"Baipar* and I haven't had a good fight in a long time, and I'm not in the mood to play hide-and-seek."**

'What in the hell is wrong with this chick? Her voice is sometimes sickly sweet, then at others it makes me want to run as fast as I can.' He shook his head and used his free hand to make a clay bird, running in and out of her range.

Dodging a last coil, he threw the bomb at the woman. "Katsu!"

Before it exploded, he was hit by one of the coils around the middle, and the bomb was cut in half by another.

"Damn, he's in some deep shit." Kisame remarked with a smile. "Shouldn't you help him Sasori? He's your new partner after all."

"Give him another few tries. If it looks like he's going to die-" The fourth attempt to bomb her failed, and he sighed. "Kisame, since you're specialized in close-combat and she's using a weapon closer to your class, you go first. I'll take your blind side."

The shark-nin nodded and pulled out his sword, running into the clearing. "Hey beautiful, want to share some of your chakra with Samehada?"

She turned, alarmed at the second attacker's size and appearance, swapping the hand her whip was being controlled by and pulling out her sword on him. Their swords clashed, and Kisame was surprised at the power his own sword was getting from hers.

'What is this bitch?' He wondered, and smiled at her. "You're skilled beautiful-"

"**I have a name Fishface."** She said, and he laughed. **"Are you an ally of the blonde, gender-confused one?" **

He snorted. "Hardly, just business partners."

Her eyes widened. "What would you want with me?"

Confused by her sudden change of tone, he took a swipe at her and missed when she preformed a back flip. "Our Leader think's you'll be useful. Now what's that name gorgeous?"

Her eyes changed from brown and soft to narrow and purple in seconds. **"Takaya. I am of the Shinigami, and was visiting Tokyo on business when I landed here.** Who is your 'Leader'?"

'What in the hell is a 'Shinigami', and what is up with her?' He saw Deidara get whipped by the girl, and she began to use her other weapon against Sasori, who easily made nicks in the material with his 'tail'. "You'll be meeting him when we take you in."

"**I'm not going anywhere with you, especially not involuntarily."**

"I like you already." Kisame said, astonished at her strength. It wasn't chakra, it was more… spiritual. 'She does call herself a 'death god' after all…' "What's with the sword?"

"Ameratsu-gaki* is my sword, her spirit protects me." She changed tactics, using shuriken against Sasori and getting them lodged in his hidden hinges and axles, incapacitating him.

"So your sword is alive too? That's rich." He laughed. "And it's got the same name as my partner's attack…"

She glared, dodging and cutting at him in close-range, an advantage her sword's length gave her. "I don't know why your 'Leader' is so interested in me, **but you can bet that all your fucking weapons that I'm not believing a word you say."**

"Eh… Life's a lie anyway, so I don't expect you to."

The pair went on for a couple more minutes as Sasori tried to free himself from the now useless shell he was in, and the woman finally made a close enough shave to count as a hit.

Kisame's eye widened in surprise when his body went immobile, even Samehada was frozen.

"Gotcha." She panted, and used a large shuriken set to impale his cloak in several places, leaving him stuck to a large oak. **"Damn, your spiritual energy is off the charts… I'm getting back to normal just from that little scratch."**

Understandably confused, Kisame watched as she tied Deidara and himself up to the trees, and used a few more large shuriken to attach Sasori firmly to the ground.

'Where in the hell is Itachi?' Kisame and the others wondered.

"Now…" The woman took a seat on a fallen tree trunk and crossed her legs. "What exactly does your 'Leader' want from me?"

Itachi landed in front of Kisame, and heard the shark-nin grumbling about somebody arriving late to the party. "Takaya, I am Itachi Uchiha, the man behind me is Kisame, the blonde is Deidara, and the puppet master is Sasori. If you come with us quietly, we'll answer your questions. 'Akatsuki' is our organization, and I think you can help us attain world peace, which is our goal."

"Hm… I like your names and cause…" She rubbed her chin. "If I join you, do I have to wear **those God-awful cloaks?" **

Not revealing his amusement, he shrugged. "For the time being, no. Does this mean you accept our offer?"

She could sense that under his emotionless and cold demeanor, he had a lot to hide. "Sure. **I guess this means I have to let them go now."**

"It would appear so…"

Together, they plucked the shuriken out of their companion's cloaks, and she put most of her weapons in a bag she carried on her person, leaving her katana in the belt of her outfit. Since Deidara was still unconscious, Sasori had the job of carrying him.

* * *

><p>Walking through Amegakure's city streets, the men noted that Takaya was young, strong, fairly attractive, and batshit crazy. Or had multiple personalities like Zetzu. Taking a turn into an alley, they prepared to go through the secret entrance to Akatsuki's main headquarters in Ame, when she stopped at the wall.<p>

"Um… **how in the hell am I supposed to get up there?"** She demanded, pointing to the disguised door several stories above their heads.

"Do you have chakra control?" Kisame asked, thinking she had something similar to the Byakugan's ability to find and shut down the chakra points in the body from her earlier attack.

To his surprise, she frowned. "I don't think so… but I can move really fast if need be."

"Follow me then." Itachi said, jumping up and back and for the between the two walls of the alley and landing on the landing before the doorway, adjusting the method of travel to fit her, and she tailed him in a similar fashion.

"**What about Sasori and the kid?"**

Kisame landed beside her and smirked. "They'll get in their own way beautiful. Now, lets get you on the inside."

Lifting up a hand, the two men's rings glowed slightly, and the door opened in response. Walking through the pipe before them, they were greeted by two small figures guarding the door.

"Itachi-san, Kisame-san." The one on the right said, a boy about the age of twelve with a shock of orange hair said, his forehead donned with bandages and he was clothed in a thin cloak. "Leader has been waiting for you. Is this the ally?"

"Himitsu, when have we screwed up a job or brought a whore into HQ?" Kisame said, making the other figure, an eleven year old girl that had her hood up to hide her face, flinch.

The answer satisfied the boy, and he nodded. "Follow me."

Walking into a large room that was furnished by several large sofas, an overstuffed bookshelf, and one of the largest fireplaces Takaya'd ever seen, they were greeted by the sight of some of the strangest-looking people in the world.

One man seemed to be covered in stitches, another seemed to be a Venus flytrap crossbred with a human, and a woman with blue hair occupied their own chairs. Deidara and Sasori walked into the room from another hallway and shared a couch, even if they didn't look happy about it. Without mutual loathing, Kisame and Itachi took up their own couch as well, leaving the two 'kids' at Takaya's sides.

"Leader will be here in a moment, the children will join you in a seat." The woman with blue hair said, and Takaya took up the offer. "I am Konan."

"We are Zet**zu bitch."** The plant-man said, seeming to have two different people speaking out of one body. The man began to argue with himself when he was done introducing himself.

"I am Kakuzu." Stitches said, and Takaya gave him a broad grin.

"And you have met the others." Konan said. "The children are Himitsu." The boy nodded. "And Tsuki."

The girl blushed, and she continued. "They usually aren't apart of the main action here, so you shall only see them during training."

Another door into the chamber opened, and an impressive man with bright orange hair and several piercing walked into the room, his ringed eyes his most interesting feature.

"I am Pein, but you shall call me Leader, Takaya Shinigami." Pein said, and the others quieted. "You have agreed to join us with conditions, am I correct?"

"Yes Leader." Takaya said, started by how much this 'Pein' knew about her. **"Are those conditions acceptable, or am I going to die again, and somewhere I've never heard of?" **

The Akatsuki members were surprised at how she answered, and her changes of tone interested them.

"They are acceptable." Pein said, then turned to Sasori and Deidara. "Takaya Shinigami shall stay in your quarters until a room is made for her. Meeting adjourned."

"Yes Leader." Sasori answered, despite the protests the teen made. "Now don't keep me waiting Takaya."

"Of course **not."** Takaya followed them down a hallway that had signed on the door stating who's room which door belonged to. The three stopped in front of the room with a sign stating 'Sasori Akasuna'.

"Since you're new, you're going to both make signs for yourselves and…" He paused, something occurring to him when he opened the door to his room.

There was only two dressers, beds, and lamps. Akatsuki worked in pairs; a third person in their room wasn't going to work out well. Especially with two other men.

To their surprise, Takaya snorted. **"Since you're wider than a refrigerator Sasori,** I'll share with Deidara-sempai."

Walking over to the free bed, she began to wring out her sleeves. "Um… could you get Konan-san or Tsuki…"

"Why un?" Deidara mentioned, smug she was calling him 'sempai'.

"Because I **need a pair of dry clothes and these are covered in mud and shit."** She said, and he shivered.

"Konan and Tsuki wouldn't have anything in your size Takaya." Sasori said.

Looking at the two with raised eyebrows, she smirked. **"Deidara-sempai, give me your spare clothes."**

Slightly intimidated by her tone, he pulled out his clothes out of his pack and handed her the teal shirt and pants. "Take them un… just be quick about it"

She walked behind a changing screen and threw her outfit onto Sasori's back. With a sigh, he left the room and went to get Tsuki. The girl would clean the clothes and return them in due time, but he didn't want to be there in case his charge decided to attack the brat.

"Thank you for letting me borrow your extra clothes Deidara-sempai." Takaya said.

Deidara sighed, reclining on their bed. "No problem hn."

The sound of rustling cloth could be heard from his resting place. After a few moments, he got annoyed.

"Are you ready yet un?"

"**Keep your cloak on, **I'm coming out…"

"_Finally_ hn!"

"**WHAT DID YOU SAY?"**

He shivered. "Nothing un…"

"**Good."**

When she walked out, she was playing with her hair and blushing, the cut of the shirt revealing quite a bit of her decent amount of cleavage, and the teenage boy began to steadily nosebleed.

"So… do I look alright Deidara Sempai? Your clothes are a little tight…"

'Oh God… I'm going to be living with _that_?'

* * *

><p>***SEE BELOW FOR COMIC***<p>

* * *

><p>A few months later, Kisame and Itachi were skirting the Konoha border, and Takaya sensed something that interested her. It was snowing, a sign of spiritual activity in the area.<p>

"Can I go looking around? I have the kunai pouch and know the hand signs I need to use to alert you if there's trouble." Takaya said, and the shark-nin smiled at her with a nod.

"I don't think it'll hurt… if you're not at the inn here by nightfall, we'll come after you."

"Got it **Fishface**." She streaked off into the woods, looking for a spirit of some sort.

What she came across was a great river, and saw the spirit of a teenage boy with long dark hair crying on the bank. She kneeled beside him and smiled.

"What is your name Spirit?" She asked.

He turned to her, surprised. "Haku Yuki… how is it that you can see me? Am I in the afterlife? Where is Zabuza-san?"

Her lower lip changed from a smile to a pout. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but you are not in the spirit world yet. Your companion most likely arrived there before you did. I am a Shinigami, and though I am far from home, it is my duty to help spirits like you Haku."

The teen wiped his eyes. "A Shinigami, a death god? What will you do with me?"

"My name is Takaya." She smiled and pulled out a jar. "And I will give you a chance to live again and protect me if you agree."

Curious, he mumbled to himself, and nodded. "I will owe you my existence, of course I shall serve you Takaya-san."

"Now, let's not take it that far." She closed his spirit into the jar and put it into her pack. "Now… to find someone that won't be missed…"

* * *

><p>"What took ya so long?" Kisame asked, watching as the young woman walked into the room they'd rented for the night. "I was about to go after you."<p>

Takaya gave him a dirty look. **"It's none of your business Fishface.** Can I just get some rest? I've had a long day."

"Sure."

It was agreed that Kisame and Itachi would take watches while she took the other bed, and early the next morning, they headed in the direction of Kumogakure to seek out the Two-Tailed Demon Cat, Nibi, and learn her general abilities. Only the woman knew that they had a silent and virtually immortal teenager tailing them, and the others would not be able to detect the undead.

* * *

><p>Sometime mid-summer, they were skirting Konoha's distant borders again. Even though she knew the dangers of her teammates being in the area, she only came off as a civilian, and could sense three wandering spirits nearby.<p>

"Deidara Sempai, Sasori…" She said, and the elder (who wasn't hiding in his puppet shell because they were so far away from anything) sighed.

"You can go." He said, and the pair watched her as she ran off.

"Danna…" Deidara said, watching her. "What do you think she does… when she leaves?"

"I don't really care brat." Sasori responded flatly, lying through his teeth. "Let's just hope she finds us before we have to get back to Leader."

In the part of the woods Takaya was trailing, she encountered the three spirits at the same time, and her smile was terrifying.

"You are all dead, and **I alone have the power to return life to you."** She said, and the 'leader' of the three gave her a bemused look.

"What do you want in return?" Dosu asked, and she knew she had them.

* * *

><p>Summer was almost over, and Takaya was with Kisame and Itachi again. This time, they were returning back to HQ to tell Leader of the Kyuubi Brat's abilities, and had been held off for a few weeks.<p>

They were passing through the woods on the edge of Konoha when she sensed a spirit in the wind, and wasn't surprised when Kisame found the body of a young girl buried under several destroyed trees.

"Damn shame… but she was one of Orochimaru's, so we can't pity her too much." The Shark-nin commented.

"Can I bury her?" She asked quietly, remembering all she'd been told about Orochimaru. "You know my sensitivity to theses things…"

"Of course." _Itachi_ of all people said, and they left her.

"Okay **bitch. Who decided to kill you?"**

"Temari of the fucking Sand Village." The spirit of the girl appeared, looking roughed-up. "At least, that's what that asshole of a pineapple-head Shikamaru said her name was."

The older girl smirked. "Do you want to live again? It won't be easy, and you'll have to work for me… but…"

"Bitch, I think we may just get along."The spirit sat down, something she was only able to do because of her recent death. "Hell, I want to fucking live again so I can see the look on that Sand-witches' face when I take her down."

Raising an eyebrow, she shrugged. "That a yes or no, and what's your name? **I really am on a tight schedule here…"**

"Tayuya, and yeah, I guess so-" She was sucked into the jar that had contained so many ex-spirits, and silenced for the time being.

A few hours later, and Takaya realized she was slowly building herself an unwilling army outside Akatsuki. **"Oh hell**… Where do you hide five teenagers?"

* * *

><p>It was winter in Amegakure, and Takaya was enjoying the house Deidara had made for her out of rock when he'd finally ran out of reasons to keep them roommates. The child's crushfear amused her, but she wasn't in the mood for him yet. He was still a little young for her tastes yet.

All of her 'children' were still sleeping, and she planned on heading to HQ soon. There was a meeting to introduce the newest member, who would be Kakuzu's partner, and she was curious about the guy herself. Well, she was truly curious about his attitude and if he'd be any 'fun', but that didn't need to be spread around.

The last good lay she'd had was with her lieutenant, and the man had tried to kill her by sending her to this place. She'd given subtle messages to Leader and Itachi, but the two men informed her privately that there was no interest, with the latter saying it like he had a secret lover of his own.

"Might as well get moving…" She decided, and went out the door.

Entering the HQ was much easier now than it had been almost a year ago, but she still used the same methods as she had then. Once inside, she heard loud swearing.

"Fuck you Kakuzu, seriously." A young man's voice called out.

'Hm… young and handsome, yet a fighter.' Takaya decided quickly.

"Hey," The teen turned to her with a confused expression, the light glancing off the rosary hanging from a chain and revealing his worked and unclothed abs. "Who's the other bitch? She your whore Kakuzu, I didn't think you'd pay for something that fugly-"

'… and quite the crude masochist.' She decided, loosing her temper and pulling out her sword. **"Bastard, don't ask for it."**

He smirked. "Nice blade, but mine's better-"

She glanced it across his side, making him immobile from the temporary separation of the soul and body. "Kindly can it **or I'll cut that dick of yours off."**

"I'd just be required to sew it back on… and an injury would just encourage him into a state of bliss." Kakuzu said.

She frowned. "He gets off on pain?"

"Yeah bitch, want to go a few rounds?"

Slightly turned on, she smiled. "Maybe another time… **if I let you live…"**

"You can't kill me, Jashin gave me the gift of immortality. Stick me through with that pretty blade of yours- nothings' happen-"

Grabbing a tanto from the table, she did just that, testing him. After realizing he was telling the truth, she noticed Leader, Konan, and the kids walk into the room. Tsuki seemed to turn paler than she already was at the sight of the blood.

"I see you've given Hidan a warm welcome." Pein said flatly.

***** Unofficial End *** **

* * *

><p><em><strong>***I have only watched one or two episodes of Bleach EVER, so I most likely have some facts about Shinigami wrong. Plus, Takaya's not a normal Shinigami anyway.***<strong>_

_Authors Notes: _

_* Baipar- the Japanese translation for 'viper'. It's the name of her whip, and what a viper that thing is. _

_* Ameratsu-gaki: Though the sword's true name is Ameratsu, Takaya enjoys irritating her and uses the addition (gaki= brat) to slightly activate her powers._

*****Comic: **http : / ofthenewmoon . Deviantart . Com / gallery / / d3fdf4r ***

* * *

><p>Late that night, a cloaked figure knocked on Hidan's door. Over mutual agreement, it had been decide that if and only if it was necessary, the partners would share a room, so he had his own.<p>

When he opened the door, he saw the intruder unclasp her cloak and reveal she was wearing nothing underneath. **"Up for a little s and m?"**

He didn't have time to answer before he was chained to the bed and being cut with a knife, the woman above him delivering cuts to herself as well during their acts of pain and pleasure…

After they were spent, he laughed. "You handle me rough bitch… I like that… I'm going to have to sacrifice a lot of virgins to pay Jashin back for this since I can't kill you…"

"**Pleasure."** Takaya smirked and put on her cloak, ready to find the kitchen. She was starving.

* * *

><p>A few months later, Takaya sat next to Kakuzu on his couch, getting in his personal space as he read.<p>

"What the hell do you want cunt?" Kakuzu said, eyes on his book.

Leaning her lips next to his ear, she whispered. "Bet you 5 ryo **you'll sleep with me…"**

He held out his hand. "You loose."

With a smirk, she shrugged. "I've got no money…"

"Damnit…"

An hour later, she was pulling at the stitches that held him together. "So does this mean I win?"

He frowned. "Do you want to fuck me again so that I don't have to pay you?"

"… yeah. **That would be nice…"**

* * *

><p>Shortly after her second 'anniversary' of being in Akatsuki, and Kisame was Taijutsu sparring with Takaya when she knocked him on the ground and straddled him, making the shark-nin have a double-take.<p>

"**Take me here and now Fishface**_… _I'm not an easily satisfied woman…" She said, smiling. "And… **I like it rough…"**

"Aren't you a little young beautiful?" He said, not caring anyway. At least Kakuzu wouldn't get on his case for borrowing a whore for… services.

"I'm…" She whispered her age in his ear, and though he was astonished, he began to ravage the woman.

* * *

><p>It was now nearing the end of her second year in Akatsuki, and Takaya was starting to feel unsatisfied again. Her usual bed partners were far away, seeing as she was with Sasori and Deidara on a mission to kill and turn in the head of a missing-nin with a large bounty on mentioned head. The bounty had been an easy kill according to Sasori and Deidara, but she was using basic medical skills to patch up a burn mark on the latter's shoulder.<p>

"**You idiot, **how did you manage to get injured by your own weapon of choice?" She said, glaring at the pouting teen. **"Don't' give me that look-"**

"You know, if a lack of sex makes a woman this grumpy, I never want a permanent girlfriend yeah." Deidara said, and winced when she slapped the bandaged burn. "So…"

She noticed his blush and change of tone. "What is it?"

"I could…" He looked down, angry. "I've wondered if sex could compare to my Art yeah.."

She smiled a little an beckoned him with her finger. "Want to test that now?"

Eagerly, he crawled across the covers of the bed and allowed her onto his lap, insinuating that though he was young, he had a decent enough background knowledge of what they were doing.

A few hours later, Takaya woke up starving, and pulled on Deidara's normal shirt before going into the main room of the suite. Sasori (inside his puppet) was having a conversation with Himitsu and Tsuki, and was ignoring her 'walk of shame' into the room that caused Tsuki to blush.

"Anything for breakfast?" Takaya asked, and frowned when the boy gave her a look that screamed the negative. "So, what are the kids doing here anyway? I thought Leader liked to keep them close."


	2. CH 12 Cold Dreams

_The official 'first' chapter of _**Time-Skip Travels**_, and the twelfth chapter of _**The Other Daughter**_. I'm submitting the story in this manner, so for those of you that are new to the story, you can 'meet' Kiritsu in the previous story to this one (_**The Other Daughter**_). _

_Since this is an altered-cannon, some things will be very different or only slightly altered. Also, some things are stated a certain way because there is a lack of explanation in any of my Narutopedia searches._

_The song for this chapter is Natsuhiboshi, and is one of the saddest songs on the Naruto soundtrack if you hear the translation. It's supposed to be a lullaby… _

**Chapter Twelve: Cold Dreams**

Kiritsu's head had just hit the pillow, eyes shut tight, when she felt wind on her face. The wind was cooler, yet more gentler… like how it would feel if you were running across an endless flat surface without anything to slow you down, and was one of the strangest sensations she'd ever felt. It was a strange sensation because the wind never felt like that.

Only the open desert gave her anything close to this feeling, and the lack of sand between her toes alerted her to the _wrongness_ of the sensation. All she felt was the wind.

Worried, she took a deep breath and opened her eyes… to almost literally fall out of the sky. She was at least fifty meters off the ground, in the middle of the desert, _flying_.

For some reason, she felt fear and déjà vu at the same time. Heights had never bothered her per se… and she'd flown in dreams before… but-

The dream-induced illusion broke with her concentration, and she began to drop like a rock. A scream broke through her lips as she fell, and sat upright in bed when the dream faded.

Hyperventilating, she clutched at her chest as her heart pounded in her ears, and a sob broke through her lips.

"It was just a very,_ very _realistic dream…" She muttered, putting her forehead to her knees. "Why do I keep-"*

A shadow moved by her windowsill, and she was alert until she recognized the movement*.

"_What's making you sad?"_

She flinched when she felt Gaara's hand on her shoulder, but covered his hand before he could pull away.

"Hold on… it'll pass in a minute…" Her voice was rough- 'Did I screamed aloud this time, or is it an aftereffect of screaming in my dream?'

Shocked, he allowed her to hold his hand as she regulated her breathing.

"Sorry…" She swallowed, letting go of his fingers. "It's nothing…"

"_Kiritsu…"_ She flinched at his tone. He softened it after a moment. _"You can tell me… After all, Jinchuuriki are good at keeping secrets."_

"It's nothing big… just a nightmare I've had since I can remember…"

'Kiritsu rarely shows this kind of reaction…' Her hesitance made him curious, and his 'eyebrows' came together. _"This dream… it scares you? How can something besides me scare __**you**__?" _

She snorted, wiping her eyes. "Everybody's afraid of _something_. In the dream, I fall out of the sky from really high up, so I'm afraid of falling."

His lips tightened at the corners. _"I'd keep you from falling Kiri-chan."_

With a sigh, she reached out and touched his shoulder briefly, startling him. "THank you Panda-chan… have a good night…"

For a second he watched her as she fell back asleep, and turned into sand. He was gone in an instant.

* * *

><p>A figure almost silently moved through the trees, snow billowing through the air, the signs of a blizzard clear to the naked eye. The figure must have been either well trained or incredibly stupid to travel in this weather, and it seemed to be the latter.<p>

'Target; Yuuki Anzuchi, male, and 21 years of age. Eye color, brown, hair color, black. Stature, slight. Weapon of choice, katana.' Now visible, the figure is revealed to be a young, thin male in an all-black uniform.

Before he could continue his mental checklist of his mission details, a tanto passed by his cheek and deeply imbedded itself in the trunk of the tree he was standing beside. At a closer glance, the tanto was revealed to be made completely of _bone_.

"I missed you on purpose." A childlike voice said with a tone of surprising command. "We'll tag you and alert Mizukage-sama if you don't leave, Leaf-nin."

He took a step in the direction of the voice, then spoke. "You are alone and not my target. If you allow me to pass your life may be spared and we can both walk away like this never happened."

A Kirigakure-standard kunai* cut through the air, and he nimbly dodged the projectile.

"I don't want to hurt you… now go!" Her voiced wavered.

His steps were faster now, advancing on her position as he pulled an ink brush and black scroll from his pouch. "I warned you… now I shall take care of you myself." 'Ninja art: Great Ink Beast.'

Quickly drawing, a Chinese-dragon/lion creature jumped from the page and ran through the woods towards the girl's hiding spot.

Worried, the girl made a few quick hand signs as she dodged the Ninjutsu, slapping her palm against a tree, and a strange symbol appeared. She took a deep breath and pulled out a katana, ready to attack…

She hesitated too long, accidentally taking a breath of ink and passing out. Her eyes rolled back in her head, the ink beast turning to smoke, and she fell into the snow.

Placing his equipment away, he began to walk past her, prepared to continue with the mission. He didn't concern himself with the fact she would die in this weather…

'It's not right, you can't leave her there to die.' The voice of his 'brother' intruded into his mind.

He flinched and touched his head. 'That voice…'

His eyes shot around, and landed on the girl. Though wearing a slightly-ajar Hunter-nin mask, he could clearly see her childish features. She looked even younger than him, slightly boyish because of her lack of development. Also, her lips were turning the same shade of blue as her turtleneck sweater.

'She _will_ die.' He decided. 'Why should I let her live? We are only tools to our masters… and Danzo-sama did not permit me to leave anyone that risked the operation alive.'

His senses picked up her slowing heartbeat, and the sound of an approaching figure miles off that was heading in their direction. A long-absent emotion flashed in his eyes, and before it disappeared, he lifted her into his arms and began to run to the nearby village.

'Just a small delay… if she were to be found dead it would be more difficult to complete the mission. And failing a mission for Danzo-sama is not an option.' He reasoned. 'She is not involved and it is not necessary to leave a messy trail.'

Noting a small inn, he veered off the road and removed his mask and headband, hiding her mask with his. He quickly laid down some money and was given a room key, half-racing to the room and placing her on the bed. Sedating her, he slipped out the window.

A couple of hours later, covered in blood, he climbed back into the room… to see two _angry_, sword-wielding kunoichi waiting for him. At least, what he assumed were female-nin despite their masculine appearance.

"What did you _do_ to Itami-chan*?" The tall, bone-white haired one demanded, a bone-sword in her hand. At a second look, it was revealed to be coming _from _her palm*.

'Her own? A Kekkei Genkai then.' He pulled out an ink-splattered scroll, the last one with any clear space on it. "I did not harm her, I simply rendered her unconscious."

"Why?"

He he'd had emotion, he would have frowned. "She was in the way of my mission. If you do not wish to be in the same position-"

The little girl sat up in the bed, her eyes flickering in several different colors before settling on a bloody brown. "Irezumi-shi ancestors!*"

Relieved, the larger girl turned from the Leaf-nin and hugged the girl on the bed. "You're okay!"

"Um… yeah." She looked around, and her eyes widened when they stopped on him. "He didn't hurt me… What's your name Ink-nin?"

"Yeah, what _is_ your name?" The eldest, whom was clearly not trusting in any way and a well-trained Jonin, held out her own katana.

'Ink-nin…' He fake-smiled, gathering his stuff and backing up tot the window, prepared to run. "My name is Sumi*… and I must be leaving now."

Jumping out the window, the truly _nameless_ ROOT member who called himself Sumi, ran as fast as he could though the woods. The Jonin held out an arm to hold the larger girl back.

"Yuurijia-Sensei!" She complained. "I've been a Chuunin for nearly _three years_, you can't just-"

"_Akuma_." Yuurijia said, giving her student a fierce glare. "Legally, he didn't _do_ anything, so we _can't_ attack him."

Itami frowned and got off the bed, picking up her mask from the floor. "He could have left me for dead in the snow… so that means he can't be _all_ bad. Right?"

The others hid their displeasure, and Akuma picked up the girl and slung her over her back, leaving her to beat her tiny fists on her larger back. "We're ninjas, there's different degrees of 'bad' in _all_ of us."

Their Sensei nodded, grabbing the sword Itami had left in the snow from her belt and handing it to the girl once she was released by her friend. "Let's go. Yuuki'll have something for us ready to eat back at the house."

She dropped the sword in surprise when she remembered what Sumi had been mumbling about when she'd approached him in the woods, but waved a hand to her companions to show them nothing was wrong and picking up her sword again. "

Your twin brother's a better _cook_ than ninja." Akuma muttered, making Itami smile.

As they walked up to the walkway before the house Yuurijia and her brother shared, they sensed something was wrong. The lights were all off, and the usual scent of cooking food was absent.

"He's… not home." Itami murmured, stepping behind Akuma.

Worry didn't reach Yuurijia yet. "Maybe the slacker got a mission without notice…"

She walked up to the door alone, and upon opening it, turned metaphorically into stone. Her eyes were glued to the mangled and bloodied body of her twin, and once Akuma saw it, the young teen let off a long stream of explicit words. Quite loudly in Itami's opinion, but she couldn't bring herself to tell the girl to quiet down. Itami couldn't even bring herself to comfort her rough-edged Sensei because of another loss*.

Yuuki Anzuchi*, the twin brother of Yuurijia Anzuchi, had been murdered by 'Sumi'.

* * *

><p>'<em>Join Otogakure.' *<em>

'_Join the Sound.' _

'Join_ Otogakure, Kiritsu-san.' _

"_No…"_ Kiritsu rolled over in her sleep, on her second nightmare of the night.

'_You're mother abandoned her nation and helped Otogakure, why shouldn't you?'_

"No…"

'_I think your mother also gave her own young son to Orochimaru too… an evil little brat who was barely a _child_ when you were born if I recall.'_

She groaned and sat up, rubbing her head to ware off a headache that was coming on. "_Damn you_ Kabuto…"

There was a knock on her door, and a servant girl's voice trickled in. "Kiritsu-sama, Gaara-sama, Kankuro-sama, and Temari-sama told me to wake you for breakfast."

'That makes sense… you have to pass all their rooms to get to mine, even from the kitchens…' She took a calming breath. "Thank you. I'll be down in a minute."

"Alright Kiritsu-sama, I'll tell Gaara-sama and the others you'll be late." SHe shut the door.

With a yawn, Kiritsu rubbed her forehead and got out of her bed. Kabuto's letters for her to join the Sound Village because it was a 'family' thing was starting to get on her nerves.

'I just want _names_ of my family members you cocky bastard.' She thought, putting on her forehead protector over her eyes as a finishing touch. 'Until that brief mentioning of him being older than me, you haven't even mentioned anything else about him… or the identities of my _parents_!'

She realized that she'd forgotten her pants during her internal ranting and sighed. 'At least he's answering my letters…'

"Miira!" There was a loud banging on her door, Kankuro's sleepy drawl coming though it. "What's taking you so long?"

She jumped a little, but simply straightened her shirt and opened the door. "Sorry, but do you want me to eat breakfast without wearing my pants?"

"…." He shrugged after the second it took to process what she'd said. "… only _you_…"

Walking out, she stepped on his toes, laughing at his mock-hurt expression. "Let's go get some food!"

With an evil-like smirk, he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, running though the Kazekage's mansion to the dining room.

"NIICHAN! Put me DOWN!" She screamed, feeling a surge of fear when a familiar sensation of wind brushed across her skin, and relaxed when he dropped her on the ground despite the slight pain from impact.

The looks on the worried Sibling's face was priceless. Gaara even had paused pouring his cereal to stare.

'I hadn't fallen down _that_ hard…' She stood and rubbed her bottom, smiling. "_Ow_. What's for breakfast?"

As the meal officially began, she was all smiles. 'There's no way Kabuto can get me to leave, no matter what he says about my birth family.'

* * *

><p>In the woods near the Ichiraku Ramen Stand, Hama-Tsu was entertaining the Konoha 12 with the basic Jutsu she'd mastered. Even though she couldn't truly see their expressions, the vibrations from their laughter reached her from the bank as she did cartwheels across the water… and fell <em>through<em> a tree.*

"So close…" She muttered, feeling around for a handhold.

"Here." Neji held out a hand to her, and her Byakugan zeroed on him before accepting his help.

"Arigato." She brushed off her apron, turning back to the rest. "If you thought _that_ was funny, why don't _you_ try it?"

The laughter died off.

"Oneechan!" Naruto said, one hand waving in apology* as the other pulling Hinata in front of him as a human shield. "We weren't making fun of you dattebayo."

"You'd be laughing too if you could see someone accidentally fall through a tree," Kiba added, and Sasuke hid his smirk of agreement.

'Neji'll get on Kiba's face in three… two…'

"That was quite insensitive Kiba." Neji said, eyes rolling like he thought so much more highly of himself than Kiba.

"Five bucks." Sasuke muttered, and Lee sighed, handing the money over to him. "Neji seems to have less self control than you thought."

He frowned, and Sakura glared at Sasuke. "Don't insult Lee-kun!"

With a shrug, he turned his attention back to Kiba, who looked like his ego had been badly bruised… but the one with the most entertaining expression was Hama-Tsu.

"_Just_ because someone makes a blind crack in front of me." She said, eyed growing cold. "Doesn't mean you have to try and defend me Neji."

Though a master at keeping his composure, Neji's even slipped at that. "Hama-Tsu-"

"I'll just… go back to work now." She turned and began to walk away, face hidden by her bangs.

"You have quite the way with ladies Neji*." Kiba looked a little pissed as he ran after her with Akamaru. "Koji-chan*! Wait up!"

I was just trying to be a gentleman…" Neji said, confused.

Ino sighed and 'accidentally' elbowed Choji while she turned to Sakura. "When will boys get it? Hama-Tsu's perfectly capable of defending herself if she feels insulted."

"Yeah…" Sakura blushed. "Girls don't _always_ want a hero."

An angry mark came by her head. "Forehead, of _course_ some girls don't! If you'd get stuck having your body being _manhandled_ while you save the day, you'd under-"

"I can just let your body fall to the ground." Shikamaru interrupted the impending catfight, yawning. "It's very troublesome to carry around."

The angry mark grew, and she shook her fist at him. "Who asked you _anyway _Shikamaru!"

He shrugged and turned to Choji. "Let's get to our training. Now that we're both Chuunin*, Sensei expects more out of us."

"Right…" He pulled on his scarf. "You coming Ino?"

"Nope, I've got training with Tsunade-sama and Forehead."

"I'm looking forward to the _Taijutsu_ part Pig." Sakura taunted, running. "Let's get going or we'll be late!"

"_Forehead_!" She growled, chasing after the retreating girl.

The two girls far gone, Sasuke took the moment of peace to smirk at Neji and mutter, "Tough break," before leaving.

Neji's eyes seemed to be in shadow as he looked down, and Hinata (with Naruto holding her hand) walked up to him.

"Niisan…" She said, looking down at their hands. "D-don't worry… Hama-Tsu-chan d-doesn't m-mind-"

"Hinata, your cousin is at loss, like a butterfly without wings." Shino stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Let's leave him be and find Kiba. Sensei _did_ want to see us after all."

"R-right…" She blushed deeper when Naruto hugged her goodbye. "B-bye Naruto-kun… Neji-niisan… it'll be okay… you k-know that, r-right?"

TenTen and Lee gave him _looks_ before they left with the others, but he didn't notice. Neji had his hands in his pockets and was looking to the sky.

'A butterfly without wings…' He mused. 'More like a caged bird…'

Walking towards the Hyuuga complex, he prepared himself mentally for training.

* * *

><p><em>(AN) _

_* Though I haven't mentioned it, Kiritsu suffers from a (currently secret) reoccurring nightmare. The reason I failed to mention it was because she only has this nightmare in Suna, so on missions (or away form home) she's fine_

_* Kiritsu is a bad kunoichi; she doesn't sleep with a kunai under her pillow, and leaves her window open at night. *waggles figure* She's asking for it I swear _

_* For references, check out the early Naruto pre-Shippuden episodes when you see Zabuza's hooked kunai in his hand. It's legit by Narutopedia if you search Zabuza's profile as well _

_* This girl is apart of the Kaguya clan (Kimimaru's deceased clan), and it shall be explained later… _

_* Itami is one of the translations of 'pain' in Japanese. _

_* Irezumi-shi; Itami's clan. It is one of the translations of 'tattoo artist', and is apart of her Kekkei Genkai _

_* Sumi is one translation for the word ink. 'Sumi' is not an OC, I'm just not using the name you know him for yet. _

_* You wondered why there's only three people on this team, when there should be three, and why she's experienced loss? Not long before this, their teammate (who is a cannon character, sue me) turned into a missing-nin because he was denied to become one of the Seven swordsmen. Plus, Yuurijia's boyfriend (the brother of mentioned teammate) died several years before, and her friends (Kisame and Zabuza) left to become a missing-nin years earlier. _

_* Anzuchi means apricot/ apricot earth. Their clan is the one that masters swordsmanship and blades, and Yuurijia wanted to become a 'Seven Swordswoman', but was denied membership. _

_* In this section, the sentences with 'italics' are flashbacks. _

_* Hama-Tsu has Earth-type chakra and Fire-type chakra. So, she can use Earth Style and 'walk though' nature, and can do basic fire Jutsu. (Her teachers are irrelevant right now, but the story is that they both owed Ayame favors, so they promised to teach her). _

_* When someone usually waves both of their hands in a hasty movement in front of their body to try to calm the person they angered down_

_* This shall be a reoccurring joke more in the Shippuden portion of this fic, but it needed to be established early on. _

_* Koji was one of the translations that came up for orphan. Kiba calls her this in his nice way… and it doesn't bother her. Much_

_* Okay, here it goes: Everyone but Sasuke is a Chuunin now. Since it is around late December year wise, and the Chuunin Exams are biannual, I'm guessing they could have taken the Chuunin Exams already or recently. Oh, and Naruto won't be going on his trip with Jiraiya for a few chapters… just to let you know _


	3. CH 13 part 1: Welcome to Oasis Island

**Just to make this clear: **_Time-Skip Travels_** is a small portion of **_The Other Daughter_**, just separate and by another name because the content and focuses are different. So, consider the intro to **_Time-Skip Travels_** like a bonus chapter or something… and there might be more of those. Bur that's why the chapter numbering is so weird. **

**I'm splitting chapter thirteen into three parts so I don't overwhelm you readers, and chapter thirteen as a whole was the most fun to write for me (making it very amusing), just to warn you. **

**Chapter Thirteen: Several Celebrations. **

**Part one: Welcome to Oasis Island **

Kankuro's jaw was ajar, Temari and Kiritsu's smiles splitting their faces, as Gaara blinked once.

"Say that again…" Kankuro managed, the first to speak, staring at Baki and the Elders. "I _might_ have misheard you."

"Gaara, a few weeks shy of thirteen," Baki said, pleased. "Is Suna's Fifth Kazekage."

Acting like the (supposed) eleven-year-old she was*, Kiritsu squeaked and hugged Gaara tightly around the middle.

"And you'll be the best Kazekage _ever_." She whispered, and a smile hinted at the corner of his lips.

"_Thank you…"_ He whispered, then raised his arms. _"Thank you, Suna Elders. I will protect and lead this village to the best of my ability."_

"You have a month before you receive your title." Baki said, masking how proud he was. "How will you celebrate?"

"… _Celebrate?"_

Putting an arm around his brother's shoulders, Kankuro smirked. "How about Oasis Island? We had great times there as kids*."

He seemed to ponder this. _"If we go, I would like the Konoha Twelve to come as well. They're the main reason I chose to become Kazekage."_

Baki looked satisfied at this. "I'll arrange for a message to be sent to Tsunade immediately."

"Woo! Vacation with our friends!" Kiritsu laughed when Kankuro put her on his shoulders and started to run around, the council room emptying.

The Elders muttered their disapproval, and Temari laughed at her childish family members. Gaara simply rolled his eyes.

"_Put her down Kankuro…"_

He smirked and let her down. "Of _course_, _Kazekage-sama_."

A slapping noise echoed around the now almost-empty room, and he swore.

Shaking her head, Kiritsu brushed her palms together. "No jokes."

"_Fine_." He scratched his ear and began to walk out of the room with the other three. "So, who's hungry? I sure am."

Groans.

"You're _always_ hungry." Temari said.

Kiritsu smiled and grabbed Temari and Gaara's hands, dragging them to the kitchen.

* * *

><p>As Tsunade smiled at the twelve teens, all in various states of alertness at the early hour, she noted their Sensei's confusion slowly disappear.<p>

"Well, this is a surprise." Kakashi said, a happy eye crease on his visible eye, and he rubbed the back of his head. "I'll get _them_ out of my hair for awhile."

The other three managed grins.

"So… _why_ are we off missions for the next month? Naruto asked, arms crossed across his chest. "Baa-chan, I don't get it dattebayo."

Tsunade gave him a dirty look and rubbed her forehead. "Don't call me _that_ Naruto. Now, it's because I'm sending you all to Suna for a vacation."

"_Nani_! Why?"

"N-Naruto…" When Hinata touched his arm, he calmed down slightly.

"I received a letter from the Kazekage-to-be requesting you all celebrate his being instated on Oasis Island with himself and his family."

"I don't get why this guy is inviting us, dattebayo."

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke tried to scratch his still bracelet-encased wrists. "_Dube_. I'm guessing _Gaara_ is going to be the Kazekage, or we wouldn't be invited."

"Correct Sasuke." Tsunade sighed.

"Gaara's going to be Kazekage soon…" Naruto said, thinking. "And he's sending us all on a trip to celebrate with him…"

"That's what she just said, baka." Shikamaru muttered, yawning.

"_Heeeeey_." A sly grin crossed his face. "We'll be with his siblings too."

He froze mid-yawn, and Tsunade nodded. "Yes. Now go get packed up for the island trip. _Now_."

"Yes Hokage-sama." The teens said, and they all filed out.

"This is going to be great! A month without missions…" Naruto took Hinata's hand. "_And _I get to see _you_ everyday, dattebayo!"

She blushed and smiled.

"Hinata and Naruto sitting in a tree," Ino sang. "K-I-S-S-I- _ow_!"

Sakura began to run once she released her hold on Ino's short ponytail. "Gotcha Pig!"

"Damn you Forehead!" She yelled, and they began to chase each other.

"Troublesome…"

Everyone else present agreed.

* * *

><p>"Wow…" Kiritsu leaned over the top of the safety railing and looked into the water several feet below the dock. "So much water-"<p>

She fell over the railing and landed on the surface with a SPLAT, standing and running up the side of the dock after Kankuro.

"Doll-boy, get back here so I can 64-palm your ass across the ocean!" She yelled, and he laughed.

Gaara sighed, startled when Temari attempted to punch his shoulder playfully and hit the sand barrier. "Lighten up. We're on vacation _Kazekage_."

"_Shouldn't they be more mature?"_ He pointed out. _"We're going to be running a country soon."_

She sighed. "Two reasons: We're on _vacation_… and we never got to be kids."

His eyes closed. _"You're right… I just wish-"_

"Hey guys!" Naruto's familiar yell got his eyes to pop open. "I found them, dattebayo-_ow_."

"Baka!" Sakura snapped after hitting him.

"I, S-Sakura-chan, please s-stop hi-hitting Naruto-kun." Hinata murmured.

"Hey." Kiritsu halted her rampage on Kankuro and ran over to her friend's sides, looping her arms through theirs. "_Nobody_ said hi to _me_."

"Kiri-chan!" Naruto beamed brighter, Sasuke taking one of his hands out of his pockets to wave. "It's been awhile!"

"The Exams were only a few months ago* Noodle-Brains." Then she frowned. "You've gotten… taller…"

"_Really_?"

Her eyes flickered to Sasuke's wrists. "Nice accessory."

He shrugged. "It came with baggage*."

"Six ANBU huh?" She muttered, rolling her eyes and taking his hand, pulling him towards the docked boat. "Let's go!"

"Man, this beach should make you guys feel right at home… with the sand and all…" Kiba said, causing people to face palm and groan.

"What a great start huh?" Kankuro joked, a smirk on his painted face, and he picked up one of TenTen's bags.

She felt a Byakugan on her, but laughed with ease. "Yep."

"_The boat is this way…"_ Gaara deadpanned, and they all began to follow him. _"Be careful of your footing, the dock is-"_

"Waaaa!" Naruto, who had been running and was pulling a poor Hinata along with him, went skidding over the edge of the dock…. And into the water.

"_Slippery…"_ He finished, and several people began to crack up.

Neji looked _horrified_ until they climbed back onto the dock, soaking wet. Naruto seemed to lack Kiritsu's reflexes… or he'd just been less aware of her surroundings than him.

"You okay Hinata-chan?" Naruto said, and she began to shiver. "I'll get your coat off…"

As he slipped it off her shoulders, she got beat red, and Kiritsu slipped her cloak (now revealed as a towel) off.

"Here." She said, wrapping it around the older girl's shoulders, revealing a casual outfit instead of her usual one and the absence of bandages. "You okay?"

"It's probably just shock." Sakura and Ino said at the same time, then the pair began to go at each other's throats for tying.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered to Choji, about to yawn when _Temari_ removed her own towel for Naruto to use, and instead ended up turning slightly pink with his jaw ajar.

"She'll see you staring dude." Choji whispered, and Shikamaru slowly closed his mouth before giving his friend a dirty look.

"_Your_ crush _never_ sees you staring, so I don't think you have a right to comment buddy." He hissed.

Overhearing the last bit of the conversation, Temari smirked, and the two girls stopped trying to hit each other. "Who's _your_ crush Choji?"

He turned red and didn't answer.

"Kids, let's just get on the boat." Kankuro said, looking over his shoulder. "You want to get there by lunch right?"

Kiba, Choji, and Kiritsu _jumped_, running down the dock using chakra so they wouldn't go flying, Akamaru skidding behind.

"_Baka…"_ Gaara muttered, him and the others wisely walking to the boat. _"You mention __**food**__."_

"You'll thank him later, this is the last peace and quiet you'll probably get for a long time." TenTen pointed out. He just sighed.

* * *

><p>"…and If Gaara wasn't my boss, I'd really have to beg for vacation time." Kiritsu said, picking up one of the snack foods they had on the boat. "Especially with the new status I was given."<p>

"What do you mean?" Naruto said, confused.

She smiled. "The reason I didn't get to see you guys during your Exams… I took the Jonin Exams a week ago."

"_NANI_! How?" He jumped up.

"Baka." Sasuke sat him back down. "She's got a lot more control over her powers than you do, and that's probably why she was allowed."

"Yep." She stuck a pocky stick in her mouth. "I couldn't tell you guys for sure yet because I got approved the day before last…"

"C-Congratulations Kiritsu-chan." Hinata said, and the others took her lead and wished her luck.

"You're like, eleven, and a Jonin already." Naruto said last. "That must be some kind of record."

Sasuke seemed to go slightly rigid at that. *

"Gaara's currently the youngest Kage…" Kiritsu directed the conversation away from that. "Anything's possible if you put your mind to it, and I just wanted to get 'ranking up' over with so Gaara wouldn't be ridiculed for having 'unskilled' right hands."

"And that means Lazy-Ass over here," Temari gestured to Shikamaru, who began to choke on his food. "Needs to toughen up."

"You okay?" Several of them asked, Choji slapping him on the back.

"T-T-trouble-troublesome…" He hacked out, breathing normally again.

"He's fine." Sakura said, running a green-glowing hand over his hand and back, then released the Jutsu and slapped him. "Just drink some water to ease the burning sensation."

"Whatever." He took one sip, and began to choke when Temari stood up and stretched.*

"What is with yo-" Kankuro paused when he saw TenTen take off her overdress, revealing her bikini top and a pair of shorts. "Um…"

Gaara walked into the room they were all in. _"I hope you are all enjoying yourselves…"_

He eyed the boys reactions to the girls who were now undressing and showing off their swimsuits. _"We will be docking on Oasis Island soon."_

"I've been waiting to get into that water since we got on the boat!" Kiba pulled off his shirt, smirking when Hinata blushed. "Joining me Shino."

Two seconds of silence was occupied my the mutual wonder: 'What does Shino look like under all his clothes?'

"No." Shino said flatly.

He shrugged and stood, running out to the helm of the boat. "Your loss."

"Wait, what's he-" Choji was cut off by an exited yell and a loud splash. "… _doing_?"

They sweat-dropped.

"Did he just… jump off the boat?" Kankuro asked, shocked as the rest.

"Baka." Shino muttered, shaking his head.

"This trip is bound to be interesting…" Sasuke muttered.

"_Oh_?" Kiritsu smiled at him. "Why's that Uke-kun?"

He looked away and shrugged, slightly angry-blushing. "They're acting like idiots before we even get off the boat."

"Hm… good point."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the storage area of the boat, Shiru and Kaori were playing cards* against the other four ANBU with them.<p>

"Tenzo, you suck at this game." Kaori said slyly, noting that the man was only in his boxers.

He frowned, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sure you have a rigged deck because of your legacy of loosing…"

"What are you talking about? It's not _me_ that has bad luck with games…"

Shiru sighed and put down some of her cards. "You're out Tenzo. Or, you get to do the 'officer dance'* in nothing but your ANBU tattoo."

"… damnit."

The white-haired woman laughed. "Guy is going to love hearing this story."

"And he'll laugh even harder when he hears what happened on that mission to Suna when you drank cactus juice* and confused me with him to the point you kissed me." Shiru said dully, noting her friend had very few cards left. "And I don't think he'll be the only one doing the 'officer dance' if you can't counter against my next play Kaori."

Looking at her cards, Kaori's smile disappeared. "Oh hell…"

"Shirt off Princess…" Uzuki-san* said, brushing back her hair. She'd become quiet since Hayate's death, but was still a mean cards player.

Giving a secretly-smirking Shiru a glare, she took off her ANBU vest and removed her shirt. "Happy?"

"Not really, but it makes my situation a little easier to stomach." Tenzo said.

* * *

><p><em>AN _

_* Kiritsu's supposed age is about eleven, based on Chiyo's assumption nine years ago. Also, she shares her 'birthday' with Gaara, because that day was the one they 'found' her._

_*Oasis Island is my imaginary vacation island, that I placed in the southern ocean below Suna and out of view on this map: http : / Naruto . Wikia . Com / wiki / File : Naruto _ World _ Map . Svg … I thought the Kazekage's family would have a vacation home on a tropical island somewhere…_

_* Kiritsu didn't go to the preliminaries, she just saw them during the final round briefly when she went to watch Kankuro and Temari. I'm also putting it out there that Gaara and Sasuke didn't become Chuunin. Sasuke couldn't compete, and Gaara was busy with learning how to become Kazekage._

_* Sasuke's referring to the downsides of such 'lovely bracelets'. A better explanation is the next line. _

_* Guess who he's thinking of, and that Naruto would be oblivious to. Hint: Mangekyou Sharingan_

_* The real insanity begins. Teenage hormones, randomness, and pure curiosity inspires the rest of the full chapter. Enjoy. _

_* Most likely a Japanese variant of poker, which I'm not sure really exists. _

_* Watch this video to get the point: http : / www .youtube . Com / watch ? v = _ w6pQ5uhDZc_

_* Cactus Juice: A reference to Avatar: The Last Airbender. A liquid found in cactuses, that when ingested, react like a hallucinogenic and an alcoholic beverage at the same time in the body. It causes hallucinations and strange behaviors in people. _

_* I couldn't find her first name, but this was Hayate's ANBU girlfriend before he died._


	4. CH 13 Part 2: Summer Fun

**I've been having strange and irregular sleeping patterns the last few days and was busy spending time with a friend that I haven't seen in a long time. She's having a difficult time right now and needed me badly. **

**This part was one of the more difficult to write, hilarity aside. Because, despite it being funny, it does have a point in the plot. Especially towards the end. **

**For anyone who's interested, this is what Kiritsu looks like on the Island: http : / ofthenewmoon . Deviantart . Com / art / CH - 13 - Several - Celebrations - 244817322 **

**Chapter Thirteen: Several Celebrations: **

**Part Two: Summer… **_**Fun**_

About twenty minutes later the boat reached the island's main dock, and the gang spotted a soaking Kiba and Akamaru rolling in the sand.

"I'm _not_ giving the wet dogs a bath." Temari said in a threatening tone. "They'll be sleeping _outside_ if they're not clean. Our house* is too nice for sand to get all over everything."

Naruto laughed. "Last one in the water gets buried in sand!"

As most of the others took off, Kiritsu covered her mouth and closed her eyes, shaking so hard she fell to her knees. Gaara gave her an empty yet annoyed look.

"_It's not funny."_ He said. "_Now get up before the others-"_

"Kiri-chan, what's wrong?"

One of Naruto's clones were running over, their friends looking back to see what was going on. She managed to become coherent when he reached her.

"Buried… sand…" She managed, lifting a hand to point at Gaara, and began to take steady breaths.

"Wha- _oh_!" Naruto laughed, the clone dispersing, and the real Naruto yelled. "Gaara has to bury the last one in, _dattebayo_!"

Gaara frowned as everyone _sprinted_ to the water. "Baka."

Only a little ahead of Choji, Shikamaru was unexpectedly tripped by Temari, and Gaara's sand began to advance on him. "What a pain…"

"Shikamaru's _last_! Ha! The Lazy-Ass got owned by a girl!" Kiritsu yelled, too far out in the water for his shadow-technique to reach her.

"I'll pay you back _later _Shikamaru!" Temari laughed, and Shikamaru thanked Kami that his face was covered before she could see her expression.

After noticing Hinata wasn't stepping any further than a few inches into the water, Naruto ran up to her side and took her hand, causing her to blush.

"Come on Hinata-chan, it's fine!" He smiled, pulling her hands foreword, and she fell foreword. "You'll love it, dattebayo-"

They fell into the water, Naruto on his back and Hinata on Naruto, both yelping in surprise. The loud splash alerted everyone to the accident. Resurfacing, they coughed up water.

"S-S-Sorry N-Naruto-kun…" She was beet red, stuttering from embarrassment rather than cold.

He smiled and ruffled his hair, helping her up. "It's cool. That was a lot of fun dattebayo!"

She was blushing too much to speak while he did all the talking, the two playing in the shallow water. Choji and Ino began to dig Shikamaru out, plotting to use this as blackmail. Lee, TenTen, and Neji were playing some kind of ball-game* with Kankuro, Kiba, and Sakura that the Siblings had been taught by the locals years back. Shino was under an umbrella, wearing (after _much_ convincing) a long-sleeved t-shirt, talking to Temari. They were discussing how to make a _large_ sand castle with Gaara's help, and were considering what would be the most persuasive and convincing argument.

Kiritsu was showing off some water-type moves she'd seen Mist-ninjas perform during the Jonin Exams, rising up on a pillar of seawater and laughing at the shock on Sasuke's face. Returning to the sand-level, she ran into the boathouse nearby, bringing out a long, wood, oval-shaped slab. The ballplayers stopped their game when Kankuro caught the ball and held it ransom.

"Who wants to ride the waves?" Kiritsu yelled, waving her board.*

Kankuro dropped the ball and ran over, grabbing his own board, diving into the water on it. "I'll show you how it's done!"

She smirked and copied him. "Not if I do first!"

"Hey!"

Splashing a _lot_ at each other, the others watched with different levels of confusion. Only Temari and Gaara seemed to know what was going on, and the pair retreated from the shoreline, a wave approaching the two in the water.

"What are they doing?" Kiba asked, walking over to Ino, who was unsuccessfully trying to re-apply her sunscreen and helping her.

"_The locals call it…"_ Gaara paused. _"Wave-riding…"_

"But how..?" Naruto's question died off when he saw Kiritsu, on her board of wood, 'sledding' on the wave. "That's _awesome_!" Teach me, I'll be great at it, dattebayo!"

Kiritsu rode the wave in the rest of the way, sliding off next to him and standing, holding out the board. "Try it."

"Cool!" He grabbed it and ran out into the water.

'Three… two…' She tapped her fingers on her crossed arms, smiling when he came running back. "What's wrong Naruto?"

He blushed and tossed the board between his hands. "Uh…" He seemed to shrink. "I don't know how…."

Grabbing another board, she waved her hand. "Sasuke, could you come over here? I think you'll make a great assistant. _Please_?"

He groaned and walked over. Since he was still fully clothed, a few wondered if she was going to make him take off his shirt or if he was going into the water with his shirt still on. Slyly, she slid her bloody thumb over a hidden seal on her arm, and pulled out a kunai.* Before he could react to the 'threat', she slashed his shirt down his front, and it fell from his shoulders and onto the ground. He gave her a _very_ dark look when several of his friends laughed.

"_Who_ wins?" She whispered, smirking and handing him a board. "Now, you need to get into the water…"

Everyone watched as she took Naruto and Sasuke though the steps, amused and interested as they showed off their 'wave-riding' training the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

><p>That night, in the steamy shower room*, Kiritsu was wringing out her hair. Leaning over the privacy wall, she stood on her toes to try to see… which was nearly impossible with her bangs in her eyes.<p>

"Ino, could you hand me the soap and scrubby please?" She asked, bangs in her eyes, holding out her hands and looking helpless yet cute.

"Aw, sure cutie." She handed her the requested items, using a towel to dry herself off. "_Anything_ for the girl that cam boss the guys around… and take off Sasuke's shirt without him trying to kill her…"

She smiled. "Thanks."

TenTen, who was working shampoo through her wavy tresses for the third time, growled. "No one told me sand gets stuck in certain _places_ and _refuses_ to come out!"

"I know the answer to part of your problem." Since her hair was still in her eyes, she frowned and pointed. "On that wall is a blue shampoo bottle. The stuff smells like shit, but if you use regular conditioner afterwards, the smell should work it's way out."

Sakura tossed TenTen the bottle, plugging her nose when she caught it and opened it.

"You sure?" She gagged.

"Positive. Look at all _this_, and I live in a freakin sandbox." She lifted up her hair in emphasis.

Skepticism vanishing, TenTen began to lather her hair, and Kiritsu bit her lip.

"I should help you when you rinse it out… it gets really foamy and sometimes doesn't all come out at once…"

"Thanks Kiritsu-chan." She said, and Kiritsu worked her way over.

Meanwhile, outside the door, Gaara's eyes were wide (his hands busy trying to hide his nose). Kankuro was simply smirking in a slightly perverted way.*

"Told you it was a good idea to try this, after Temari was done of course…" He said, adding the comment about their sister like an afterthought. "I told you we'd hear _interesting_ things."

When Gaara glared at him and tried to answer, he began to choke on the blood from his nosebleed. _"I'm __**never**__ listening to a 'good idea' from you again…"_

A round of giggles caused the blood to begin flowing again.

"Fair enough." He shrugged, and accidentally leaned too hard on the room's paper door…

Falling through it…

Into a bathroom of now-angry kunoichi.

"_Kankuro_!" Kiritsu yelled, and turning to sand, Gaara fled.

* * *

><p>"What happened to <em>you<em>?" Naruto asked, looking through their cracked bedroom door. "You look like somebody broke your nose and healed it after you bled out, dattebayo."

Sasuke, Kiba, and Choji paused their playing the kids version of the card game the ANBU were playing in the boat's storage area (and were still playing in the attic of the house they were in, but the boys were using chips as betting money). Shino and Shikamaru were playing shogi at the small table in the room, and looked up from their game in curiosity.

Gaara turned slightly pink and opened his mouth to answer when Kankuro ran around the corner down the hallway, heading towards the kitchen and dining area. A few seconds later, Kiritsu, Ino, Sakura, and TenTen (all wearing just towels) appeared, chasing him and screaming every form of insult they knew.

"Ooooh." Naruto got a mischievous look on his face and pulled Gaara into the room, closing the door behind them. "You and Kankuro were peeking in on the girls and only _he_ got caught.

"_No…"_ He frowned and cleared his throat, knowing the others were listening in. _"…we were just listening at the door… and the baka lost his balance and fell through the door."_

"Then how come you got a…" His confusion changed to laughter.

Even Sasuke and Shino at least _snorted_ when the others understood.

"What were they _saying_?" Sasuke managed, smirking.

Eyebrows blushed when Gaara full-on blushed for a moment before clearing his throat again. _"They said… they would help…"_

He couldn't manage his composure and deflated, sitting on his bed, putting his head in his hands. _"They said they would… helpeachotherwash."_

_Choji_ began to choke on his chips, and the other boys turned slightly pink. Shikamaru recovered first and helped his friend out.

Coughing, Shino got up and walked towards the exit. "I think that spider has tangled himself in his own web. I shall go assist him out of it."

Once he was gone, Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "What's _his_ problem? Can't take that kind of thing and still manage to act weird or something?"

"No…" Kiba got an annoyed look on his face. "He's just not into 'that kind of thing'- because he's not _interested_ in any of them. His _interest_ is a girl _waaaay_ different."

A few owl-eyed expressions ended up greeting Neji and Lee when they entered in from the dressing room. After a quick look around the occupants of the room, Neji sighed.

"I don't-"

Lee chose to interrupt his teammate. "I apologies for interrupting Neji, _but_…" He looked closely at his friends. "What are you discussing? It seems to have bothered many of-"

"Kiba told us that Shino's crush isn't on the island." Shikamaru said, yawning. "So we're all wondering who Kiba knows that Shino knows outside of ninja work, and there's not a long list."

Kiba slightly shrunk into the corner of the room, avoiding their gazes, and whispered. "… Nosy Rose…"

The silence was deafening, only Gaara and Naruto not understanding the meaning of his words, but only the latter caring enough to express it.

"_Who_?"

A round of groans.

* * *

><p>By the next day, the peeking incident seemed all-but forgotten (it was assumed Shino had something to do with it, but neither the Bugs Master or the Puppets Master said anything about the incident). Even though the identity of said Bug-Master's apparent crush was fresh on the minds of the boys.<p>

Kiritsu was currently heading inside to get icicle snacks* for everyone. TenTen and Kankuro'd been sent in earlier, but they had yet to return. They'd cut their losses and sent _her_ instead, making comments about why they should have sent her instead of the couple in the first place.

Shaking her head in amusement at the crude joke Kiba'd made earlier, she walked into the kitchen, not noticing that there was anyone else in the area…

Until her eyes nearly popped out of her head from the sight of Kankuro and TenTen nearly eating each other's faces off, her bikini top on the floor between the pair.

"Oh my_ freaking gourd _on a _stick_!" She covered her eyes with her hands, blushing. "You were _supposed_ to be getting _icicles_, not making her _melt_!"

Both red, Kankuro pushed TenTen behind him to hide her from view, picking up her top and handing it to her. "We got a little distracted… and _you_ shouldn't be talking like _that_!"

Eyes firmly closed, she walked up to the freezer, opened it up and felt around with her hands, and pulled out two boxes of the frozen treat.

She blessed whoever was watching over her for being able to operate blind. "I grew up with _you_, didn't I Niichan?"

Once outside, she re-opened her eyes and walked over to the group, handing out the flavored sickles.

"_At least __**you're**__ reliable enough to get us snacks."_ Gaara said, taking a red one as she sat next to him on the driftwood bench. _"By the way… did you discover why TenTen and Kankuro took so long?"_

Kiritsu turned slightly red and reconsidered choking herself with the icicle. "T-Trust me… you _don't_ want to know."

Temari laughed at the other's faces. "What was the girl 'lacking'?"

Kiritsu turned red, and whispered, "Her top…"

The older girl was still laughing between slightly suggestive licks on her icicle in Shikamaru's direction (teasingly, of course) when the couple walked outside.

"Hey little bro, did you get tired of fooling around with your puppets and wanted to try with the real thing?"

The pair went red, and an angry puppet master began to chase his older sister around the beach, to the amusement of their audience.

* * *

><p>The next night, an awful storm hit the island, so the teens were hanging around the 'game room' until it blew over.<p>

Sasuke, who was rather uncomfortable knowing that ANBU were watching _everything_ going on about him (Kankuro and TenTen were getting unnecessarily cozy on the couch near him, to Shikamaru's displeasure Kiba was trying to hustle* Temari at pool and failing miserably, Naruto and Neji were having a deeply involved conversation about honor and the traditions of the Hyuuga clan with Hinata making comments once and awhile, Ino was doing Kiritsu's hair while they chatted about something random… you get the picture), decided to go to the kitchen and refill his punch.

Closing the refrigerator door, he put his cup down with a sigh and began to fill it. "Sakura, I can sense your presence here even with these things on… come out."

She stepped into view, looking to the floor. "What did I do wrong to mask my chakra this time?"

He smirked a little and handed her the jug of punch. She accepted it. "Nothing, it was almost perfect… it was either your body wash or shampoo smell that gave you away."

"…Oh…" She felt like slapping herself, and Inner Sakura agreed. 'What a smooth move Forehead!'

"It's progress, at least you can hold your own against the average Chuunin now." He internally winced as he remembered the crunching noise her opponent had made during the face-off of the final round. She'd been only a few months under Tsunade's training, and it showed well.

"Right…" She brushed her hair behind her ear. "Um… Sasuke-kun… I was wondering…"

His mood sank to somewhere just below his feet in an instant. "Sakura."

Startled by his tone, she paused. "What is it Sasuke-kun?"

"I left you and all the others because I truly _wanted_ to." Leaning with the counter to his back, he used a hand to push his hair back, sighing. "I wanted to leave you all and never look back. I _didn't_ care if you lived or died fighting for me…"

She winced, and tried to speak. He held up a hand, and she was silenced.

"But I still showed kindness. Something told me not to leave you on the ground, so I carried you over to the bench and gently set you on it… one of my last kind acts that night." He frowned. "I didn't know _why_ then, but I know now. It wasn't just for you- I knew _he'd_ be even angrier if he found out… _He_ may have always said he loved you then- which is clearly not _that_ kind of love, or he wouldn't be dating Hinata right now- but I was the one he was closer to."

"It would be an even greater betrayal if I hadn't respected a little piece of him when I left." He looked to the floor now, releasing his hair and letting it fall in his face. "But there was no feeling to it. I didn't respect you, or give you any standing other than teammate. I only needed you around long enough for me to move on to greater things, and even though I know that was a mistake _now_, I still have trouble dealing with your company."

"Sasuke-kun, we can work on that together…" She looked hopeful in his mind's eye, holding her hands in front of her like she was praying with that stupid smile of admiration. "We've both changed because of what you did… I've gotten to be a stronger kunoichi, and you've begun to hang around real people more and not focus on training all the time. It would take time, but-"

"Sakura… I appreciate the offer, I really do." He cut her off, voice light and honest. "But I'm never going to care for you like a brother the way Naruto does, or truly love you like Lee does. _Move on_. Torturing yourself because you'll never get what you want from me isn't good for you… be with someone that has always cared. Make yourself stronger on the inside _that_ way."

"You're right… I should be as strong as I've become on the outside as I have on the inside." She bit her lip, tearing up at his words. "But… honestly, _Lee_?"

He smirked. "He _really_ loves you- or are you blind _and _deaf? Just give that guy a try… you can learn something from each other, and _maybe_ grow up."

"Gee, thanks Sasuke-kun." She wiped her eyes. "Are you pulling my leg here- about him being able to teach me something and the other way around?"

Shrugging, he took a swig of his punch. "Maybe you can or can't; Kiritsu can somehow do the things she can, and your Master Tsunade can turn mountains to dust if she's in the mood for it… my point is-"

"I get you point Sasuke-kun… maybe I'll try it."

"Good girl." He awkwardly tried to pat her on the head like Kakashi did and only ended up getting his hand swatted. 'I guess you need to be taller to pull that off…' "I'm not going to get the 'Naruto treatment' now, am I?"

"Maybe… if you do something to deserve it."

"Hn. Then that's a no." He smirked, and she smiled at him softly.

"Sasuke-kun…"

"What?"

"Um…" She began to slowly back towards the archway that lead into the game room. "I think the part of you will be a _great_ boyfriend to a girl someday… just, _not_ me apparently…"

He smoothed back his hair again, and groaned when he sensed a familiar presence. "What do you _want_? Your job is to be my babysitter, not listen in on private-"

"You brother was a lot kinder when he told me 'goodbye'." Shiru said, her eyes activated with an unfamiliar yet familiar Kekkei Genkai pattern. "But you did good Crybaby*, there's hope in your emotionless shell yet."

His eyes widened. "_Roo_*?"

"Dang, did the eyes give me away?" She shook her head, and prepared to melt into the shadows again. "Well, goodnight-"

"What do you _mean '_say goodbye'?" He demanded. "And where have you _been_ these last five years?"

'_Really_ kid?' She frowned. "What happened that night shall stay buried in the recesses of our pooled memories. I wish I could have been with you, but I was… ill… after the massacre and was back on duty before I could gain partial guardianship over you. I never had a free day until the Sandaime's death and my assignment to watch over you."

"Tell me what he did to you!" He was angry now, and she prepared her getaway as he began to walk towards her. "He -you- were the closest friends I've ever seen, and that's even in comparison to the _married_ people I've seen… if he hurt you…"

She disappeared from his eyes, and he hit the wall, anger swelling inside.

"Hey Sasuke, are you okay?" Naruto asked, walking in and eyeing how rigidly against the wall he was positioned. "Sakura-chan said that you might want to see me dattebayo."

'Don't be angry now… you have friends that will fight with you… you're not alone…' He internally chanted, and relaxed a little at the familiar speech pattern that usually got on his nerves, smirking at his friend. "Baka, why would I want to talk to _you_?"

He beamed. "Now that's the moody Sasuke I know! Let's get back to the fun- it's going to be dark soon and the TV says that the storm isn't letting up until sometime tomorrow dattebayo."

Groaning, the dark-haired boy followed him out. "… Great…"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, above them, Shiru was looking out the window and into the storm. Her knees were pulled to her chest, a tanto with the kanji 'Itachi' in her hands. *<p>

"_I, Uchiha Itachi, wish that you promise me one last thing before I leave forever."_

"_To protect my brother. The Elders and Danzo will be keeping a close watch on him, and I need someone to make sure that no one touches him. You're the only one I trust with this job."_

"_Silly Shi-chan…"_

Kaori walked up beside her and sighed. "Hon, why did you have to say those things to the kid? I mean, _I_ was shocked when you told me what happened off-record when the Sandy-man died, but-"

"Cut it Kaori… I'm _exhausted_ tonight."

"Yeah… memories have a tenancy to do that." She slid to her knees next to her, crossing her legs beneath her, grey-brown eyes on the younger girl. "You know what you need?"

She gave her friend a dirty look. "No. _What _could I need?"

"Girl time. I'm getting Miss Depressed Pants and we're all having chocolate and _lots_ of alcohol."* She winked. "I think the boys can handle themselves for the night, and I've embarrassed Tenzo enough for one night."

"Tyrant." She muttered, poking her in the middle of her forehead, finger getting shocked by the green diamond there.

"That's my mother and bosses' job first." She stood and walked off.

* * *

><p><em>AN _

_* This is what the house looks like, floor plan-wise (You may want to leave the page open during the whole chapter to visualize the scenes): http : / ofthenewmoon . Deviantart . Com / gallery / 30888384 / d3l49jn_

_* This game is a mix between beach volleyball and basketball… So volleyball where you can use your whole body, and do anything to get the ball into the scoring areas at either end of the 'court'. _

_* I have put surfing in the story for this part. Oh dear XD_

_* I'm pretty sure in the manga there were people that had seals on their bodies for kunai in Shippuden… Sasuke being one of the examples _

_* I wonder where this is going. _ (looks this way) … _ (looks the other way) … *Shrugs* _

_* This isn't going to end well… _

_* Just think popsicles when it says 'sickles' or 'icicles' _

_* Hustle- I think it can be used as the term that people call tricking someone into playing a type of game involving betting and coming off as a poor player but winning all the money at the end. _

_* Shiru's nickname for Sasuke when her and Itachi would try to play together alone and he'd be forced out. He'd cry, and she would call him this before comforting him _

_* Sasuke could _not_ pronounce her name as a kid. _

_* Shiru has Itachi's ANBU tanto. I wonder why? The next lines in italics are memories…_

_* Because that's what Kaori grew up with as 'girl time'. *snorts* I'm surprised her parenthood isn't obvious._


	5. CH 13 Part 3: Last Discoveries

**This is the last part I swear! The fun doesn't quite end here, but I've covered most of the basics for personalities and such. **

**Sorry it's taken so long but my family is preparing on getting a female German Shorthaired Pointer puppy and we've had to clean up the house like mad. This is going to be one heck of a learning experience… And I spent the weeked without long periods of time availbe to work on my laptop, seeing as I had to visit with my cousins (who also turned out to be a Naruto fan and I had a blast).**

**This chapter is unexpectedly long… even excluding the parts I edited in (in my original notebook, that is college ruled and I used both sides of the paper, the first version of chapter thirteen was 21 pages…)**

**Chapter Thirteen: Several Celebrations: **

**Part Three: Last Discoveries **

Kiritsu groaned when a harsh light suddenly blinded her, and she closed her eyes fast. "_What _is going on?"

"It's time for breakfast Kiri-chan." TenTen said, then chuckled. "Wow, I never realized you slept with your eyes open…"*

Slowly turning over onto her front, she made a complaining noise. "See it as an aftereffect of always having your eyes bandaged. So, why do I have to go to breakfast _now_?"

The older girl sighed. "You've been spoiled by my boyfriend and his brother… we're all supposed to eat together."

She pouted. "So I can't sleep more?"

"No."

"_Damnit._"

"Come on…" She pulled off the blanket and tried to tickle the girl. "_Now _young lady!"

She began to kick and fight, giggling her head off. "Stop it or-or I-!"

"Or you'll what?" TenTen smirked and released Kiritsu, who promptly fell onto the floor. "Now get dressed- breakfast is in twenty minutes."

Sitting straight up, she gave the retreating weapons mistress a cold glare. "If you end up marrying niisan and I'm still living in the Kazekage Mansion, you are _not_ bossing me around."

Her smile turned softer. "Sure I won't. See you soon."

When the door was shut, Kiritsu yawned and padded over to the closet, grumbling about needing her sleep. There was a hesitant knock on the door, and she pulled a blanket around herself before cracking it open. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Hinata?"

The shy heiress nodded and blushed. "TenTen said that y-you were displeased with h-her… a-and I wanted t-to…"

"Wanted to what Hinata-chan?" Her eyes were already sliding halfway shut. 'What time is it anyway?'

"He-Help you pick your o-outfit for the day…" She looked to the floor. "Us girls are going sh-shopping and I-Ino-chan a-and the rest of us would like to s-see you-"

"I'm not going to be your oversized doll, but you can help me pick out an outfit." She smiled. "I only bite as much as Naruto does on a good day, and it's your room too… you don't have to ask to come in."

"R-Right…"

* * *

><p>"Wow, this place has nice stores." Ino commented, and she spun around in her skirt. "We <em>never<em> get to dress up and have girl time at home."

"Think of this as part of the party then." Kiritsu smiled, blushing slightly as she looked at her bare feet. "Do you guys really think I look normal? The boys all seemed… they…"

The girls giggled, and Sakura put her hands on her shoulders. "They were just surprised. You look great!"

Her eyebrows came together. The red tube-top over her tank-top bikini and mid-thigh length red skirt _did_ look pretty on the disguise…

"But what if I wasn't… you know… using this skin tone?" She murmured.

Temari looked back, lifting up the brim of her sunhat. "Now you listen to us young lady- no matter what anybody says or whatever your skin color is, you're still my 'little sister' and student. If anyone judged you, they'd meet the business end of my fan."

"And I'd _seriously_ mind-screw them." Ino put in, and the others gave her a _look_ that caused her to blush and wave her bag-ridden hands around. "Not like _that_, our family Jutsu doesn't work that way-"

"Pig, you're making a scene." Sakura grabbed her wrist and pulled the blonde into another store. "Oh look, they have good-looking curry here."

"Hopefully it's not like the 'Curry of Death'*," TenTen joked, and the other Konoha girls laughed as Temari marched Kiritsu in.

"You know what spicy food does to me Sempai!" She said, struggles fruitless. '_This_ is what happens when I don't get my rest and suppress my chakra!'

"Now, now, aren't you hungry?" The fan-mistress smiled and sat the grumpy girl down in the seat left for her. "Try to behave, we're in public."

"So?" She asked, snatching a menu and trying to find the least-flavored thing they offered.

"Well, now that the boys are a decent enough distance away…" She smirked and fanned herself with an 'ornamental' fan. "What do you girls think of the boys? Ino, since you're the most opinionated, you start the conversation."

"Okay..." The blonde raised her visible eyebrow and raised up her menu to block most of her face from view, peering over it at her companions. "I'd like to start off that, even though he's been improving, Naruto is still an idiot. No offence Hinata."

"N-none taken I-Ino-chan." The mentioned girl murmured.

"Amen to that." Sakura said.

"Ahem, I was talking Forehead." Ino smirked. "Now… Sasuke Uchiha… A total hottie and badass, but not on my top choice list anymore because I don't want him to pick up and leave me behind. How's _that_ been going for you Forehead?"

She was startled, but blushed behind her menu. "Oh… we… um…"

Everyone turned to her. "Are you two _dating_?"

"NO!" Her eyes widened, and they all relaxed. "I've just decided that… we're not meant to be more than friends… if we even get that far."

Understanding murmurs filled the space.

"There's still more guys to talk about." She said to her friend and rival. "So, what about TenTen's teammates?"

"Oh…" She put a finger to her lips. "Neji seems to be less of an arrogant jerk since Naruto knocked him in the head… twice.* Lee… he's really weird, but I'm betting he has really great muscles because of all his training. Can you confirm this Ten?"

"Hm..?" TenTen looked up, just having decided on her order. "Oh, right… yeah, he's really muscled. Not too bad looking, but its not my taste to have a body worked like that."

"Interesting." Ino smirked at the new information, storing it away for later. "The next guys are Kiba and Shino. Kiba's really loyal and brave to the point it's stupid, and he's a real pain in the ass when you want something serious done… but I'm not sure what to think about Shino. Sometimes he's really strange, and others I think he could be really interesting."

"I a-agree about K-Kiba-kun…" Hinata said, blushing as the others turned to her. "Um… him and Shino were like brothers to m-me before N-Neji-niisan was. W-well… Shino-kun is good company w-when you need somebody t-to listen… he's good at that…"

They all ordered their food.

"So now all that's left is your own boys and my brothers." Temari nodded absentmindedly as the water jugs were placed on their table.

"Oh, _my_ boys." Ino liked the way that sounded. "That's easy; Shikamaru's a Lazy-ass, but he gets us out of pinches, so he's pretty helpful. And Choji, even though he's… you know… he seems to be getting more confident lately and is moving along great in training."

"That's good…" Temari noted something in the other blonde's eyes, but passed it off as something else. "You hit the nails on the head."

"Now, lay it on straight about how you feel about _my_ boys." Kiritsu demanded, the food arriving, poking at hers with her chopsticks warily.

"Oh, easy." She smirked. "Kankuro's a smooth-talking flirt that loves his puppets and seems to be doing a pretty good job of handling Ten… and Gaara…"

All the Leaf girls seemed uneasy except Sakura. "Well Pig, I think Gaara's outdone himself. After deciding to reconcile for his past actions and working his hardest to become Kazekage -ending up succeeding, no less- I think he's got good things going for him."

"Oh… that makes sense." Ino picked up her curry, the others mimicking her action. "Well, take a bite in three… two… one!"

The sounds of slight gagging noises and choking on water were heard by all the other amused customers and staff members.

* * *

><p>"So what do you think the girls are doing?" Choji asked, loosing pool to Kankuro for the fifth time in a row.<p>

"_Either shopping, or having a lengthy gossip session about us."_ Gaara said, eyes of the Shoji board as Shikamaru made his move. He pondered his decision briefly before making his own move. _"I'd assume both…"_

"Girls are a major pain in the ass…" Shikamaru muttered.

"Then how come you're so interested in my sister?" Kankuro joked, and the younger boy blushed slightly before looking even more irritated.

"Hey, Temari's a scary girl- how come you like her?" Naruto demanded.

"I _don't_." Shikamaru replied.

"Liar." Kiba taunted.

"Yeah, my sister puts it out there for you enough, it would break her heart if you didn't return the feelings." The Puppet Master gave him a look. "And if that happened, I'd be inclined to give you intense bodily harm."

"Can I just finish this game?"

"Aw look at him, trying to change the topic." He snorted, and the other boy's expressions were within the range of amusement. "Seriously, if you like her, it's not my problem, but if you don't man up and do something-"

"I'll _only_ date that troublesome woman if she threatens to beat me with the business end of her fan!*" Shikamaru said, making a move. "_Checkmate_."

He had no clue what he was in for when the girls got home, but now the others were quiet and he'd won his game. For now, he was mildly content.

* * *

><p>After a few weeks of sun, their vacation was coming to an end. Several of the guests had broken down and became couples.<p>

As promised, Temari threatened Shikamaru with her fan if he didn't date her, and they were now sitting side by side with the others around the bonfire. Hinata and Naruto were quite cozy themselves, Sakura and Lee just simply sitting side by side. Ino was left with Choji as Neji and Kiba argued about who was 'better' for their crush back home.

To no one's surprise, Shino was putting fireflies in glass jars and handing them off to the girls as presents, with the promise they'd release them at the end of the night.

Gaara broodingly stared into the flames, Kankuro kept a firm arm around TenTen's waist when he turned to his brother.

"What's wrong? You look more demonic than usual." He joked, trying to hide his concern, and winced when TenTen slapped him for the remark. "Ow, what was that-"

"_Kiritsu and Uchiha have been inside awhile… I respect her friendship with him… butt."_ He winced and rubbed his forehead. _"And there's __**things**__ Shukaku wants me to do that I don't understand."_

Knowing this wasn't her place, TenTen kissed his cheek and went to sit between Neji and Kiba.

"So… your demon wants you to do _what_ exactly?" He asked, fearing the worst. 'A monster like his is in the body of a teenage guy after all…'

"_Well… kiss her in the same way you've been kissing TenTen when you think no one's around… but more."*_ He said, swallowing hard and slightly blushing from embarrassment. None of the others were close enough to overhear. _"In the mental pictures… she doesn't seem to like it…"_

'Just what I thought…' He scratched behind his ear nervously. "Gaara-"

"_But I __**don't**__ want to hurt her…"_ He looked sad.

Relief crossed his features, and he ruffled his brother's hair affectionately. "Then you've got nothing to worry about. Your will-power is one of your strong points, so if you're against what Shukaku wants, then he doesn't have a chance."

"_Right…"_ He murmured, focusing on the fire again. _"But…"_

Kankuro sensed some of the others trying to listen in on their conversation. "We can talk about this later."

"_Alright… I'll be back in a moment, I'm getting snacks."_ He stood and walked towards the house.

The second he'd stood, TenTen returned to her place on Kankuro's lap, whispering something in his ear. Rolling his eyes, the puppet master whispered something back, laughing when she blushed and held her close.

'_Love in its finest form… being loved in return…'_ Gaara shook his head once he was far enough away from the group. _'Something I shall never experience… but sometimes…'_

Inside, he heard familiar whispers around the corner and froze, hiding best he could in the shadow of the turn.

"I'm not sure I understand Uke…" Kiritsu's voice reached his ear.

* * *

><p>On the other side of the corner, Kiritsu had her back against the wall, Sasuke in front of her with his hands planted on either side of her head. His head was hanging down and his bangs hid his face from her view.<p>

"Look…" His voice had its rough edge, but was low and… sad. "I've let down Sakura easy, my 'fan girls' hit the road when I came back to Konoha -not that I care-, my guardian is an ANBU that refuses to answer any of my questions, and everyone doubts my credibility. I don't want to feel angry anymore even though I have to…"

Her eyes widened, looking sympathetic and sad. "_Sasuke_…"

* * *

><p>Gaara felt slightly sickened inside for some unknown reason, Shukaku and his sand becoming restless. <em>'<em>_**I'm**__ the one she talks to like that… __**Me**__."_

* * *

><p>"I want to <em>make sure<em> that we're just friends…" Sasuke said, eyes in shadow. "I mean, you're not bad for a brat since you dish out kindness, but… unlike the Sand-Bucket, I don't deserve yours."

"Hey." She put a finger to his lips to quiet him. "Look… if you really want to make sure… I'll kiss you.

His eyebrow raised. "Isn't it your first kiss?"

She smirked. "I heard it won't be yours Uke… and it won't mean anything to me since we don't have feelings for each other- right?"

* * *

><p>Gaara's legs suddenly couldn't hold up his weight, and he slowly slid down the wall to the floor. Pulling up his knees, he rested his crossed arms on them, pressing his head firmly against his arms to suppress the pounding in his head. He didn't understand his reactions, and blamed Shukaku.<p>

* * *

><p>When the two kissed, there wasn't even the briefest moment of chemistry between the pair, and when they broke apart, they laughed with relief. Kiritsu leaned back against the wall, and Sasuke rested his head against the wall himself briefly before standing to his common slouch-height again.<p>

"No offence… but I'm glad I'm not into you." Kiritsu said, and around the corner, Gaara unconsciously relaxed. "That was like kissing my brother or something."*

"Hn… same here."

After a few seconds, Gaara got to his senses and stood, walking around the corner with a pleasant expression oh his face.

"_Kiri-chan, Sasuke."_ He said. _"Since you're both here, do you want to help me get snack for everyone?"_

She smiled and took the arms of the two boys. "Sure, let's go!"

Being dragged down the hall, in their own way, the boys rolled their eyes. She always had her ways of getting them into things.

All carrying a large plate of different food, their friends welcomed them back to the bonfire with demands for food. After happily swallowing the last of the dango on his sixth stick, Naruto let out a satisfied belch.

"We're leaving the day after tomorrow right? What is there left to do?" He demanded. "I mean, we've explored the island already…"

"You didn't think there was an overall point to the trip?" Kankuro said, and when he sheepishly nodded, the others groaned and or face palmed. "Baka."

"We're going to get fitted in formal wear today, then tomorrow night we'll attend a party with several political figures, and announce Gaara as the Godaime Kazekage." Temari said, fanning herself and relaxing onto Shikamaru's lap and lightly smacking him when he made a complaining noise.

"Yep. Us girls will have a spa day, and you boys will be mercilessly primped for the occasion." Kiritsu smirked and poked Naruto in the nose.

"Nani!" He stood, and held Hinata in front of him as a shield. "Nobodies' going to take me and make me all fancy, datte-"

Sakura and Sasuke consecutively hit him on the head.

"Baka." Sasuke snorted. "Its going to be like this all the time _if_ you ever become Hokage, might as well get used to it now."

Hinata tried to comfort the sulking boys as the others made more cracks. "I-I know it s-sounds bad… b-but it r-really isn't…"

"_This is going to be an interesting celebration_." Gaara deadpanned, and Kiritsu's giggles increased in intensity.

"I'll bet." She managed.

* * *

><p>As the girls were being fitted for their dresses, it was clear Kiritsu was <em>not<em> a happy camper.

"I'm _not_ a child, I wear the _same _style dress they do!" She pointed to her friends, who were wearing adult styles and cuts, refusing to wear the yukata their housekeeper/designer was offering.

"I apologize Kiritsu-sama." She said, shaking her head and causing her thick curls to bounce wildly*. "But its' difficult to find a design that fits your measurements-"

"Kaa-chan, I think I have something." One of the assistants, Kana, piped up.

"Just make me something simple and pro-Suna." Kiritsu said, and the designer flinched and bowed. TenTen giggled at how deeply under the tiny girl's influence the woman was.

"Right away Kiritsu-sama." She shouted to the assistants in the island language, and they began their work, using a foamy green material.*

"_Every time _she gets fitted… no matter where we are…" Temari said, shaking her head and saying something to Kana in the island language, causing the two to laugh.

Kiritsu muttered something that sounded _suspiciously_ like a swearword, and the two quieted down during the rest of the fitting.

* * *

><p>The next night, once the girls were dressed, accessorized, and had the proper makeup on, they sat in the room just outside the formal banquet hall.<p>

"High society… _sucks_." TenTen, the only one of the girls that _didn't_ belong to an influential family or clan, muttered.

Temari waved her fan at the violet-clad weapons mistress. "If you and my brother worked out, this _could _become a common thing for you."

TenTen owl-eyed, and the others laughed.

When she recovered, she said. "By the way… Kiritsu, what did you say to Temari and the girl yesterday?"

"Oh…" Kiritsu pursed her lips. "In the Island language, I called Sempai and Kana 'loose', but it translates to 'whore'."

"Yeah, you told us 'Shut up you whores." Temari added, then smirked at the surprise on their faces. "What?"

"Y-you just d-don't… normally…" Hinata, clad in an orange kimono, was blushing lightly. "…fight…"

"Relax Hinata-chan, the locals swear at each other all the time." Kiritsu shrugged, slightly displacing her sea-foam green kimono. "So me and Sempai do it to let off some steam. It's no fun with the guys- they get defensive about it."*

"…Oh…o-okay." Hinata seemed to understand. "Neji-niisan trains to l-let off s-steam… s-sometimes I j-join him a-and get a-angry too…"

The other girls began to talk about their stress-relieving habits.

* * *

><p>While the girls discussed their stress-relieving habits, Shino peeked into the waiting hall, out of their view.<p>

"So… what do the girls look like?" Kiba asked.

"As usual they look deadly and stunning, like-"

"We _don't_ want an insect comparison." Sasuke said, rolling his eyes.

Shino sighed and adjusted his glasses. "The girls are wearing clothes that correspond with their closest friend or the person they're in a relationship with."

"Like..?" Kankuro gestured.

"TenTen in purple, Hinata in an orange-gold, Kiritsu in the Suna green…" He paused. "Temari in a decorated white, Sakura in green, and Ino in red…"

"Which means?" Naruto said, confused. "I know Sakura-chan with Lee and Hinata-chan is orange for me… but…"

"Dube." Sasuke hit him. "_Ino_ is the only one not obvious…"

"Oh, right!" He perked up before becoming confused again. "Who..?"

"Congrats, the hottest girl in our year likes ya!" Kiba hit a stunned Choji in the side.

"Nani!" Naruto jumped up. "She likes yo-"

"Gentlemen." The woman that has poked them with pins walked up, and several of them flinched. "You may now sit with your ladies… if that's to your pleasure."

"_Of course."_ Gaara, his formal Kazekage robe on over his clothes, walked up. _"Let's go work out the issue of whom shall 'escort' whom before the formal introduction."_

The boys stood and hesitantly followed him.

* * *

><p>"Relax Choji." Ino said, patting the boy's hand. "You're doing fine."<p>

Kiba suppressed his chuckles, his other arm wrapped around hers.

"Choji Akamichi." She hissed, and he swallowed, looking at her. "You're part of Ino-Shika-Cho and can pull off being the size of a small panda; Get a grip or I'm telling Sensei he can forget about treating you after training."

Swallowing again, still intimidated by the fact he was escorting _Ino Yamanaka_ to an event like this.

"… and I'll go on a date with you if this goes smoothly." She added. Immediately, he turned red, standing tall and trying to look brave.

"Aw, they're going to be an interesting couple." Kiritsu said, squeezing the arms of Gaara and Sasuke in excitement for the party.

"Hn."

She gave him an irritated look. "How much are you loosing to Kiba?"

"_He won twenty bucks."_ Gaara deadpanned, and Kiritsu gaped a little.

Temari, the majority of her arm and upper body leaning on Shikamaru, covered her face with her small fan and kissed his cheek.

"Why did I agree to this?" He muttered, angrily blushing.

She pinched his cheek, smiling slightly. "Because I'm 'troublesome' and convinced you?"

He was still muttering as she doted on him, and Naruto was shaking in his shoes nearby. Neji was becoming exasperated as Hinata tried to calm him down, her face a bright red.

"Man, when are they going to announce us already?" TenTen asked Shino, who shrugged.

"Should be any time now…" Kankuro said, lazily using his chakra strings to play with the dressing room chandelier.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Kage's and Daimyo's…" The boys winced slightly when they heard the woman that had dressed them speak. "I give you the Kazekage and his guest of honor."

"Showtime." Kiritsu said, and her escorts smirked a little as they walked foreword.

* * *

><p>After the introductions and dinner, the partygoers moved to the dance hall and were left to enjoy themselves. Gaara, while speaking with a diplomat from Kumogakure, noticed Kiritsu standing outside the hall.<p>

"It's not your only job to entertain your allies." A chesty woman with chin-length blonde hair and narrow blue eyes, a Kumo Joni vest around her waist, said. "Though good politics are important Kazekage Gaara…"

"_Samui-san, I do not want to come off as rude to my guests…"_ Gaara said with an apologetic air.

"Just go to her already." She shrugged. "I need to find Bee-san before he causes trouble anyway."

He nodded and turned away, walking up behind Kiritsu. _"Are you enjoying yourself? You've seemed distant all evening."_

"Hm…" She turned to face him and smiled slightly, and his face colored. "I guess I'm just… thoughtful."

"_What're you thinking about?"_ He asked, pushing Shukaku's dark thoughts as far as he could back in his mind.

"I look somewhat like a Kumo-nin…" She bit her lip. "But… I've discovered things, things that…"

"_We'll figure it all out, just like I promised."_ He could sense how upset she was becoming under he passive exterior. _'She rarely gets emotional like this…'_

Her eyes slightly tearful, and she hid her face in his shoulder when she hugged him. "You're Kazekage now… when will you have time?"

'_I'll always make time for people that I love…'_ He hugged back for a moment, unused to the contact. _"I'll work on it. You trust your Kazekage, right?"_

"You got it Panda-chan." She released him and peeked around his side at the sound of a henge Jutsu, and laughed. "Oh Kami, look at Naruto and the Eight-Tails."

Knowing he would regret it, Gaara sighed and turned around… and desperately wished he was somewhere, anywhere else at that moment.

Naruto was using his Harem Jutsu in the middle of the dance floor and trying to get a reaction out of the older Jinchuuriki. He was unsuccessful, getting more irritated by the minute.

"How can you resist my Sexy-Jutsu?" Several of the Naruto's demanded, hands on their hips.

The older Jonin snorted. "Yeah, I ain't into white woman, whee."

"_Damnit_."* The boy yelled, and Kiritsu's laughs were accompanied by many of the other adults' laughs.

"This is the way to end a vacation, isn't it?" She asked Gaara, who looked like he might crack under his calm exterior and faint. "…Gaara? You okay?"

* * *

><p><strong>(Almost) The whole time I typed this I listened to 'The Scientist' by Coldplay. It actually fit's the part with Sasuke and Kiritsu… slightly. If you can find an instrumental version, I advise you to listen to it during the whole chapter <strong>

* * *

><p><strong>I'm wondering if I've been portraying the cannon cast correctly or not… I'd like to hear your opinion please. <strong>

* * *

><p><em>AN: _

_* This is quite possible to happen… I think it's a medical condition in some situations_

_* I haven't seen the whole thing, but the Curry of Life filler-arc was one of the Team Guy and Naruto centric arcs in the pre-Shippuden arc. I've heard it's quite hysterical _

_* She's referring to their infamous fight during the Chuunin exams. _

_* This shall come back to haunt you Shika _

_* I'm not sure how many people have considered this angle. I mean, Shukaku is an evil and twisted demon that's over a century old, I'm sure it knows how humans work and all that. Maybe even Naruto's perverted side is influenced by Kyuubi as well- its an option to consider. _

_* Kiritsu has mostly platonic or non-committal relationships- she doesn't know how to respond to any other type of affection. Her social skills are fairly good, she just gets picky about who she spends her time with. I think her social circle has twenty people in it at most. _

_* The race of the 'local' people on the island are a mix off Mexican, Japanese, and Hawaiian. Their language is a French-Japanese mix… somehow. _

_* Due to some confusion with the anime, I was under the impression Suna's color was blue. It's not. It's really green according to the manga. _

_*Kiritsu doesn't have a lot of formal social skills…_

_* Inspirations for dresses: _

TenTen_- http : / www . Cheongsam - wedding -dresses . Com / index . Php ? Main _ page = popup _ image & pID = 1667 _

Ino_- http : / www . Culture24 . Org . uk / asset _ arena / 0 / 82 / 16280 / v0 _ master . jpg_

Sakura_- http : / shop . Perimart . Com / images / M / 01011801 . jpg_

Hinata_- http : / www . Cosplay . Com / marketplace / show product . Php / product / 18591 _

Kiritsu_- http : / www . Animegalleries . Net / img / 319726 _

Temari_- http : / www . shop Japan . Ca / Merchant2 / graphics / 00000002 / White - Kimono - AK538W - med . jpg_

_* The credit for this little scene goes to this comic (through Deviantart search): Naruto Chapter 492 Marise567. Its' funny as heck, even though the setting is different than the one I used it in._


	6. CH 14:A Desert Rose and Family

**I apologize, I got lost on the path of life. **

…

**No, seriously, I've had a lot going on.**

**And just to try to help you see how I'm working this out, to put it simply, I want to release chapters further apart now because of school coming up/puppy and the fact I'm only five chapters behind the original right now. Maybe I'll start getting a chapter out once every week or so.**

**This chapter covers three things: One, Gaara's relationship with his 'family', and a gift he makes to help them protect each other. Two, Naruto's training mission with Jiraiya starts with a bang, and three… well, you're going to have to work that out for ourselves. ;) **

**Okay, the main reason behind Kiritsu being so strong is in the Pre-Shippuden Anime/manga- Naruto Episode Eight during the Land Of Waves Arc. Kakashi: There are ninja out there that are younger than you, yet are stronger than me. **

**I hope now Kiritsu's more 'human' and less Mary-Sue-like to some of you.**

**Chapter Fourteen: A Desert Rose and Families**

Shiru looked out the window of the largest building in the Uchiha compound, leaning heavily on the sill, a far-off look in her eyes.

'I'm going through this again for the first time in six years….' She thought, watching as a dark figure jumped from rooftop to rooftop over the village, heading towards the best way out of the village besides the main gate. 'The Nara's aren't going to appreciate their Forest being used as an escape route… _again_…'

"Yo…"

She didn't turn to the Copy-Nin, even though his somber tone should've made her consider it.

"It's just like loosing him again, isn't it?" Her voice was low and dark. "Except… he's really doing it because of an order- not choice."

"Oh, he chose to accept." Kakashi said, putting his hands in his pockets. For once, he wasn't wearing his Jonin jacket or gloves. "It's in the Uchiha nature after all."

"But why?" She swallowed. "He'd just become a Chuunin, and to choose a voluntary mission to abandon the village and kill Orochimaru…"*

"Well, he likes his freedom." The man put a hand on her shoulder. "And he'll probably use this opportunity to train to become strong enough to kill Itachi…"

Closing her eyes, she was frozen. Sighing, Kakashi pulled down his mask and pulled her towards him, lightly kissing her on the forehead, holding her in his arms after pulling his mask back up.

A tear rolled down her cheek, and she smiled a broken smile. "You're girlfriend's going to get jealous…" *

"Oh, I'll make it up to her." He smiled under the mask. "She knows how it is between us after all."

'Depending on each other's lives in ANBU for years bonds people…' She didn't smile, but she wiped her cheek. 'But he doesn't know the truth about Itachi…. Or he wouldn't have let his prodigy leave…'

"Now, let's get you home Shiru the Ryuuchi*." He put a hand at the small of her back and walked her back to her apartment.

* * *

><p>'<em>It seems your clan was the carrier for the abilities that Orochimaru-sama used to create the Curse Mark. These 'abilities' were the curse of your clan's Kekkei Genkai.'<em>

The same line from Kabuto's most recent letter continued to go around and around in her head as Kiritsu looked at the Kazekage's old 'family' photo album. Their newest photos made the Oasis look like a fun vacation spot… unlike the cold snapshots Kana or Temari'd taken during their childhood trips.

Biting her lip, she put the photo album away and hid the letter in her weapon's holster, and walked out of her room.

'I have a Kekkei Genkai of some sort that is in relation to Sasuke's Curse Mark…'* She wondered to herself, turning towards the counsel room. A meeting was planned to start any second now. 'I wonder what kind of temperament my brother must have if he was the original curse mark, considering Sasuke's behavior in the Valley…'

Stopping, she realized that she was wasting time walking and should try out the technique that she'd been fooling around with to counter her fear of falling. Gathering chakra around her body, she began to slowly rise up and hover above the ground.* Pleased and filled with adrenaline, she 'ran' down the hallway, three feet higher than normal.

"Excellent Jutsu Kiritsu-sama." Some Jonin called out, and several said similar words of praise, joking. "Now you'll never be late!"

Pushing open the council room door, she preformed a somersault over the back of her chair and dropped into the seat hard when she dispensed the Jutsu.

"I hope I'm not too late." She said apologetically, gaining a smirk from Kankuro and the surprise of several councilmen and Elders.

"_For a change, you've arrived in time for us to start."_ Gaara said, picking up a paper stack and handing it to her. _"However, if you'd taken any longer, I would've had to send someone for you."_

"At least I'm dressed and presentable now." She teased, punching his sand shield in a friendly manner, reminding him of the time Gaara _himself _had came looking for her and found her in a less than professional outfit (Her underwear).

While the adults murmured, he coughed and covered his face with his sleeve to hide his temporary blush. _"Let us begin."_

Passing around papers, the council discussed a clan disagreement, and later, international affairs concerning a separating couple's custody battle of a child who had the mother's Kekkei Genkai yet desire to live with his father. Kiritsu was snoring at this point, until she heard something 'interesting'.

"… To wrap this up, Konoha's Hokage, Tsunade has a request for us. Jiraiya-sama and Uzumaki Naruto need permission to walk through our lands without being questioned." His mouth twisted. "Do you agree to this or decline the notion Kazekage-sama?"

"_Agree."_ Gaara said clearly. _"Earlier today I received a letter concerning this matter from Hokage-sama herself with more details on the situation, and agree with the points she made. This will be to the advantage of Naruto and myself considering the hardships that we shall be facing soon, whether our nations can protect us or not- It is better we stick together when we can."_

There were murmurs of agreement.

"Akatsuki?" Kiritsu murmured to Gaara, fully awake again. He nodded slightly, and she scowled. "Damnit… this is going to get rough…"

"Alright…" The Elder wrote down the decision. "Now, the High Council will be left to the S-Class reports."

"_Depart."_

Once the room was clear of everyone but Team Baki, Gaara sighed and took off his Kaze hat. Reaching into his pocket, he revealed a small scroll with the broken Oil kanji on it.

"_There's more than Naruto's freedom to travel in this letter."_ He said, holding it up. _"This is S-ranked information indeed…"_

"What's so secret about it?" Kankuro asked.

"Well, it won't be much of a secret if he tells you." Kiritsu muttered sarcastically, then her expression drastically changed. "… Wait…"

The two girls pulled scrolls from their weapons pouches. "Shika told me about some damage to the Nara Forest…"

"And Kakashi…" Kiritsu's letter slipped from her fingers, her voice coming out strangled. "Uke's left for Otogakure _now_?"

"_Yes."_ It looked like Gaara was frowning. _"His mission may land him in the land of Wind, so I'm warning you that I'll be keeping you off border patrol to avoid conflict… unless otherwise is ordered."_

"You got it." Kankuro said, and the other two nodded.

'Even though it would take all of us to face him full-powered…' Kiritsu frowned. 'We need to worry about Akatsuki… and I need to figure out Kabuto's cryptic messages about my family.'

* * *

><p>Kiritsu was dosing at her desk a few nights later when she jumped at the feeling of someone putting their hand on her shoulder, squeaking slightly in fear.<p>

"_Sorry…"_

Taking a deep breath, she put a hand to her slightly swelling chest. "It's fine."

Gaara gave her a concerned look, his blue eyes holding a penetrating gaze. _"You should go to bed. It's not good to overwork yourself."_

"B-But…" She yawned, and he put his arm around her waist to pull her into a standing position. "I have a _lot_ of paperwork to fill out if I want to be accepted…"

She was resisting weakly to his attempts, and he rolled his eyes before picking her up, carrying her bridal style. _"Which is why you should rest. You can't perform your best when you're burned out like this…"_

"N…" She crossed her arms in irritation and closed her eyes. After all, she _was_ stressed and exhausted. "_Hn_."

He was surprised when she relaxed into his hold (somehow gaining several pounds, but he'd never tell her) and smiled a little.

"You know…" She murmured when he'd settled her into her bed and taken a seat at her desk. "I worry about things… Like what would happen if Orochimaru discovered Uke's mission…. Along with other things…"

Knowing what she meant, he looked out at the moon, deep in thought. His sand was almost absentmindedly swirling in his palm.

"_In the morning, I have something to give you… and the others."_ He said quietly, and her slit eyes gave him a look of confusion. _"But now, get your sleep… I've been told that dreams keep our worries away for a short while."_

"Bu-"

He ran a hesitant hand from the top of her head and slid it down her cheek lightly, kissing her forehead before turning into sand. _"Goodnight."_

A little later, above her window on his balcony, he looked over the village from the familiar vantage point. The sand in his hand was getting closer to forming the object his mind depicted.

'_It may be my destiny to protect all the people in this village with my life…'_ He thought, giving the now-completed object a smile. _'But she would give up her own life if that was what it took to protect those closest to her first… she's more selfish, but gives them more love than I ever could…' _

* * *

><p>'I know we had to leave as soon as possible and all…' Naruto had said earlier, with a traveling pack in a classy inn not too far from the Amegakure border in the Fire country, to Jiraiya. 'But… I really wanted to se Teme before he left again dattebayo.'<p>

Jiraiya had sighed and paid for a room key, handing it to the almost-thirteen year-old. 'Your safety and training is more important right now. Go to the room and get some sleep kid, I need some more information on where we're traveling tomorrow.'

He'd made an angered face and walked away. '_Sure_ Ero-Sennin, 'information'…'

Now the Sage was at the bar, musing over the conversation as he ordered a sake. "Just like his father…." 'Now, for drinks and women-'

"Pardon me…" The voice of a lovely-sounding woman reached his ears, and he slowly turned to face her. "Are you 'Jiraiya-Sensei'?"

When he saw the girl, he was slightly disappointed at how petite and heavily-cloaked she was, but pleased at how curvy her form was. "The Sensei of love if you want-"

"I apologize, but that's not my interest." He deflated. "I was sent to speak with you, Jiraiya-Sensei."

He frowned, and offered her the seat next to him, which she took hesitantly. "Only about ten people have ever called me that, and they're a lot older than how you look."

Taking a steadying breath, she brushed a bit of dark red hair back into her cloak with a pale hand, covering her face with the strands. "Let's just _consider_ I know some of your past students. Now, is the Kyuubi host upstairs, or not?"

He froze, and immediately picked up on the slight movement of her companion nearby in the bar, ready to take action in case the 'meeting' went wrong. "Why would you want to know Princess?"

"My name is Tsuki of the Yajuu* Clan." She said smoothly. "and though I'm flattered by your advances underneath the tension in your body, I wish to explain that I'm not here to capture the boy. And… I'm twelve years old."

'Her name doesn't ring any bells…' He frowned. "Then what do you want Princess? And which student of mine do you know?"

He missed the movement of her eyes changing color to silver. "That is unimportant."

"Now look here-" A slight motion from the cloaked companion of the girl turning in her direction made him give the girl a dirty look. "Fine. So what are you so interested in… _other_ than Naruto."

"My acquaintance would like to wish your daughter well." She said somewhat sadly.

'I'm not even going to ask…' He thought, frowning. "She's basically married nowadays… it's not much of a secret… and is constantly slinking around and creating a legacy of slipping out on duty."

A sad smile. "My teachers have been busy as of late… but there is a woman that reminds me of simple pleasures…. You are luck to have a 'true' family in this world Jiraiya-Sensei."

He raised an eyebrow, and downed a third sake. "Sounds like you've got it rough… Wait…" With a slightly drunken reach, he tried to grab a strand of her hair. "That looks familiar…"

Her eyes met his, and he went slightly limp, to fall against the bar.

"You will forget this ever happened and go to your room. If Naruto asks, lie about having no luck with the ladies and behave like you're rather hung-over…" Tsuki said in a low tone, putting one hand on her shoulder and another on his cheek to keep his gaze on hers. He stood and drunkenly walked up the stairs.

"Do not mourn; the memory-altering was necessary." Her cloaked companion moved to her side. When you saw his face, you could see he was considerably younger than he sounded, more or less thirteen-fourteen. "He almost recognized the similarity you share with your father when he was young. We would've been in trouble then."

She allowed him to support her weakening figure, tears silently streaming down her face. "I know… but using my ability…"

"Shh…" He stroked her cheek and took her hand, leading her up the stairs. "Let's go up to our room and tell God and his Angel that we crossed _their_ path."

A weary nod. "Alright Himitsu… but please help me… I don't think I can make it…"

He lifted her up and onto his arms as he walked into their room.

* * *

><p>***<strong>Continued From Chapter Fourteen<strong>***

* * *

><p>Waiting in their room was a dark figure, cloaked in black with red clouds pattered across the fabric. Akatsuki.<p>

"Sasori-san." Himitsu nodded to the two others in the room, one of which was dressed in a similar outfit as the other. "Deidara-san, Takaya-san. Thank you for lending us your room now that you're leaving."

"It Tsuki okay?" Takaya said with concern.

"She is just exhausted from the traveling." He lied smoothly.

"**You brat, I can **_**tell**_** she mind-screwed somebody!"** Takaya said, her eyes narrowing and turning violet during her snap.

'Her spiritual-sensor has made it all the more difficult to hide her reaction to the Jutsu…' He frowned. "With rest, she shall recover to her full health."

Takaya's face relaxed. "Okay. Leader will be pleased to hear how your **meeting** went."

"We'll be back to HQ in a few days, I'm sure God can wait." He said, deadpanned.

"But your mother, Ko-"

"Takaya-chan." Sasori said. "Leader wants that bounty today, not tomorrow night. Let's not keep him waiting."

"**Fine…"**

Deidara began to mumble, and Takaya ran a finger through his hair. "Don't be a baby…" She teased, and jumped out the window. "Come on Sempai!"

"One of these days I'll turn you into an instant of beauty, yeah…" He muttered.

Once the adult Akatsuki members were gone, Himitsu removed his and Tsuki's cloaks, laying her on the bed.

The most significant part of his appearance was a shock of bright orange hair with bandages wrapped around his forehead. His eyes were a soft brown, and his face had a dead look about it, devoid of emotion.

Tsuki, as he laid next to her, was revealed as having a unique appearance. Her skin was nearly white, hair a bloody crimson...

The Yajuu clan was one of Orochimaru's experiments that were 'saved' by Amegakure's old leader, and one of their women became Tsuki's late mother. Her father is Nagato.

Now holding the depressed girl in his arms, Himitsu gave a look to his best friend in a similar manner that his father, Yahiko, gave to his mother, Konan.

* * *

><p>With a slight smile, Gaara gave Temari a bracelet, Kankuro a holster for his puppet scrolls, Baki a new headband, and Kiritsu a necklace.<p>

"Nice presents bro…." Kankuro attached the scrolls into the straps, an almost perfect fit without adjustments. "But what's with the charms?"

"_Isn't there something familiar about them?"_ He pointed to Temari, who was closest.

After inspecting the charm on her bracelet, she gasped. "You're sand!"

He nodded while the others gave him amazed looks. _"I infused the sand with my life chakra, so if I we're in a state near death, the charms would fall apart like… even more lifeless sand."_

….

"Clever. But why did I get a desert rose?" Kiritsu demanded later as she prepared to go out with Kankuro that night. "Going soft Kazekage-sama?"

He shrugged. "The stone fits you…"

"How _overly-romantic_ of you…." She said with a chuckle. "The poor fan girls will think you're smitten."

"_If it gets them to leave me in peace…"_

She laughed even harder.

…

When Kankuro and Kiritsu walked into the nightclub, she was bombarded by Chuunin and Jonin women.

"Are you and Gaara-sa-"

"That necklace, oh I'm-:

"Lucky bi-"

"Easy ladies." Kankuro called, clearing a space with a sweeping motion of his arms and a glare. "Don't crowd Miira-chan… if she wants, she'll talk to ya."

"Thanks Niisan…" She said, and clambered _onto _the bar. "Hey, anyone got a mic?"

Taking it in hand, she took a deep breath. "For those of you that are wondering about me and Gaara…"

It went silent in the room.

"Me and him are _just friends_ thank you very much. I'm no whore."

Kankuro began to laugh at the pleased looks on the girl's faces. "Idiots."

* * *

><p>In Amegakure, on top of one of the rusty towers, two ninja were overseen as they sparred in the rain.<p>

"Your speed is dragging Tsuki." Uchiha Itachi called out, the rain causing his bangs to cover his Sharingan partially. "Himitsu, you're favoring your right side. Distribute your weight more evenly or she'll knock you over."

"Right." He aimed a kick at her torso, which she dodged easily, deeply concentrated.

Dancing around, bare feet splashing waves of water everywhere, Tsuki began to make hand signs for a water Jutsu. "Ninja art: Wild Whirlpool."

The water began to whirl around his feet, and every time he jumped from the attack, his feet touching ground, the water would attempt to entomb him again. While he tried to dodge the attack, she used kicks and punches towards his vital organs. He avoided the damaging blows best he could, even chancing an attack or two.

Both pulling out a kunai, they stopped attacking each other, and held their knives to their own throat.

Itachi considered raising an eyebrow, but clearly said. "Tsuki wins… May I speak with you privately Tsuki-sama?"

She nodded, and Himitsu left after giving her a long look. Collapsing on a bench, she was too exhausted to be surprised at the comforting hand of deadly twenty-year-old Akatsuki-member Itachi Uchiha on her shoulder, leaning into the touch instead.

"I can see the strain your ability puts on your body." He said flatly. "That's' why you don't speak to Leader about it, correct?"

"I hate disappointing him….." She spoke quietly. "I don't want to be used… Even though I'm a Shinobi, I'm no weapon… but he has trouble seeing things any other way…"

He glanced at her dead brown eyes and remembered her childhood, one so similar to his own. "Having a companion in this life makes it easier… remember that."

She didn't smile. "Arigato Itachi-sempai. I will."

* * *

><p><em>AN: _

_* A parallel to what Itachi had to do as an ANBU is what I'm doing with a Chuunin Sasuke. _

_* There are only two-three Kakashi pairings I support, and I'm not telling you which one I'm using for this fanfic yet. So guess away. The only thing I'll say is it's _not_ Shiru. _

_* Shiru the Ryuuchi- 'Earth Dragon' is Ryuu (dragon) and Chi (earth)… one of the nicknames Shiru got in ANBU for being calm yet rough during combat. Dragon can be a term meaning tough and formidable. _

_* Kiritsu does have a 'curse mark', but that's just the birthmark people in her clan get. They are different in comparison to people's chakra types/abilities. Guess who her family members are (Note: Her mother is an OC, so that doesn't count). Also, could someone link me to a picture with the five different curse symbols please? It would be a great help. _

_* Hey, if you're reading the latest chapters of Naruto, you know he can fly somewhat… and this isn't nearly as powerful as his anyway. Basically, her chakra is the negative end of the magnetic force and everything else is positively charged, causing her to be suspended away from the ground/any object in her way. It's a variant of 'Rotation'… _

_~And for those who shall peg Kiritsu to a target board, here's a list of her abilities thus far: Rotation (with 200 km Byakugan), Second Level Sharingan, Rasengan and slight control over Kyuubi regeneration, Bone strengthening, Chakra blade in right hand, Genjutsu: Darkness Suppression, Speed equivalent to Lee with third Gate open, and now 'Flying Jutsu'. Not too much right? PS: It won't increase much by the end. _

_* Yajuu is one of the Japanese words for monster/beast, and Tsuki's clan is a unique one. _


	7. CH 14: Granny Gets Told

**Authors Note: Go to my Deviantart account for my journal updates, I put up more information about and will answer questions there. On another note, this is the last chapter of part two if The Other Daughter. Enjoy or not. **

**Also, part Three shall be submitted over Christmas break if I don't get more time. I'm busy with school and other projects, so this is an announcement of a Hiatus of the uploading sorts here on …**

**The next part shall be called **_'What Daughters Know'_** and conclude the story of Kiritsu and the gang. There will be plot twists and unexpected surprises.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15: Granny Gets Told!<strong>

Kiritsu looked up in surprise when a messenger tapped on the study door. *

"Come in." She called, eyes going back to the page of her book. It was getting good, and she was looking foreword to the next chapter.

"Kiritsu-sama," He said. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Chiyo-Baasama wishes to speak with you."

'That ancient elder rarely leaves her _house_, let alone wishes to see someone.' She raised an eyebrow. "Take me to her then."

Following the messenger, she was absentmindedly playing with her bangs, wondering if she should do something with her hair-

"_Finally_ you show up." The Elder's voice drifted to her.

She shrugged as the errant messenger ran away. "Sorry, but me and Gaara've been having trouble getting good messengers…"

The older woman seemed distracted, moving behind her desk and pulling something out of her desk.

"Its been a long time since I've been alone with you… This meeting should have happened years ago." She said, sighing. "But the Yondaime Kazekage requested you not know the events of your coming to the Sand Village."

"_Okay_…" She'd never admit it, but there was a jolt in her stomach.

Moving her hands, the woman held up a forehead protector with the Otogakure eight note on it, and it seemed familiar to her somehow.

"The person that left you behind, now assumed to be your mother, left this behind." The elderly woman said. "According to Tomoe Matsuri anyway…"

Feeling weak, she took the offered seat.

"When the sound-nin gave me a strange respect… I had my thoughts…" She muttered, wanting to just let off some steam. 'The nerve of them…' "Anything else?"

"Traces of Sasori and Orochimaru, which means your mother might've had connections with Akatsuki, or her headband traveled around a lot."

"Was there any other chakras found in the cloth?" She asked.

The elder went over multiple possibilities, making Kiritsu feel gradually more ill as she continued.

* * *

><p>Still feeling ill by late lunch, Kiritsu played with her food while the others at the table gave her varying concerned looks, but knew better than to ask. Even when Kankuro or Gaara -the ones that Kiritsu spoke to most often- asked her about what bothered her, they'd get shut out for a few hours and still not discover the problem.<p>

With a sigh, she did her best to pay attention during the council meeting.

"_There have been sightings of Sound ninja by our borders…"_ Gaara said. _"I have decided to send one of our Special-Jonin out on a mission to check on the situation over a week and report back to me…"_

"Only one? Kazekage-sama, isn't it wiser to send a squad?" One elder piped up, others making approving or disapproving motions.

"_This mission is made for stealth, and since this Jonin is attempting to get into ANBU, being successful at this kind of mission would be a decent mark on their application…"_ He had determination and a 'don't argue with me' tone in his voice, and no one disagreed.

"Who _is_ this Jonin?"

He sighed. _"Those going into ANBU have secret identities… I have discussed this mission with them before, and they accepted it."_

Kiritsu nodded to herself, and Kankuro gave her a look. "Miira, you alright?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm better now…. You'd be flying over Suna if I wasn't."

He smirked at her joke, Temari snorting.

"_Meeting adjourned…"_ Gaara sealed his scrolls and books. _"Kiritsu, will you join us for dinner since you barely touched your lunch?"_

"Sure."

They were left alone.

"_Kiritsu-chan… even though this mission will bring you close to Sasuke, you can only observe him from afar unless he approaches you first…"_ He said calmly, and she smiled.

"Thanks for the early present Panda-chan." She joked, hugging him. "I needed to get away from my other duties before I became your personal lap dog anyway…"

"_I'm sure ANBU won't be too different from your other duties…"_ He said, looking at the one golden-brown eye that looked normal.

"Oh, stop trying to disenchant me into that Lazy-Ass's opinionated level…" She let him go and walked to her room, prepared to pack before dinner.

* * *

><p>Wearing her modified Chuunin vest and arm bracelets over her long undershirt's sleeves, traveling pack firmly strapped to her back, she had the Byakugan activated in her right eye. She's intercepted one of Kabuto's letters to her, and the direction it came from helped her figure out where she was going.<p>

She came across a cave structure on the border between the Iwagakure and Sunagakure that seemed to have been renovated into a prison. Briefly, she considered going over the structure and enter from above, when she saw two prisoners sparring.

A _giant_ of a teen with fiery orange hair and a much slighter boy with white hair was all she could see.

White-hair laughed as he slashed at the other with a sword. "Try harder Juugo! You can't beat me like _this_."

Kiritsu snorted, noting the almost _playful_ way the white-haired one fought as the larger dodged and ducked, and the somewhat disinterested look on the other's -Juugo?- face. It reminded her of Niisan and Panda-chan sparring.

"Suigetsu, I told you that I didn't want to spar…" He preformed a flip to avoid him, not attacking.

"You agreed to spar while _Orochimaru_ and _Kabuto_ were touring _Sasuke-kun_ around the prison…" He said, angrier the longer he didn't land a blow. "Karin'll try and rape him I-"

Unexpected to the white-haired boy -Suigetsu?- and Kiritsu, Juugo landed a hard (crunching) punch in Suigetsu's side, not reacting when Suigetsu groaned in pain.

"I told you I didn't want to fight…" He picked up Suigetsu and carefully carried him towards the entrance.

'Better idea than going through the ceiling.' She thought, performing a henge and jumping in front of them, wearing the Oto-Nin uniform and sporting short, black hair, and tan skin. Her eyes were her normal gold, just in both optics.

"I have a curse seal and am just poking around for answers…" She said calmly, adopting a childlike tone and holding up her hands.

Juugo looked sad. "When were you marked?"

"I believe now to be born like this…" She said, preparing herself to make a hand sign or pull out a weapon. "Just let me…"

He held out a hand, using just one shoulder to support the (almost) forgotten body of Suigetsu. "I was used to make the cures mark."

'_No way…_' She thought, and she shrugged. "I can wake him up with healing if you get me inside…"

"Deal."

* * *

><p>Walking the halls, she remembered the conversation she'd had with Juugo before she left him and Suigetsu, who she found was rather irritating.<p>

"_Arigato Juugo-san…" She said, at the doorway. "Now I can go look for answers…"_

_His expression was unreadable. "This isn't my room… and I'd like you to not go looking for me… for your own safely…"_

_She shrugged and pointed to her naval, where the curse mark was. "We're family… b-because of this… Let me worry about my own safety…"_

Lost in the memory, she didn't realize that she was walking in the same direction as a group of people, until…

"_Hey_, watch it brat." A young woman with pink-red hair and eyes to match under thick glasses glared at her.

"S-sorry…" SHe said, bowing and backing up.

She made a displeased noise. "Sorry Orochimaru-sama, Kabuto-sama… Sasuke-kun…"

Though worried that Orochimaru or Kabuto would recognize the henge, she looked over to Sasuke.

"Its no problem Karin, she was probably rushing to dinner…" Sasuke said, revealing a slight smirk in Kiritsu's direction. "Speaking of which… would you sit with me Karin? I enjoy our conversations…"

"Kukuku… of course…"

Kiritsu scooted into the shadows, pretending to trip over her feet as she 'ran off', tailing them to dinner. Durring the meal, every glance towards the table Sasuke, Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Karin were at made her smirk.

'_Finally_ Sasuke hit puberty…' She joked to herself.

The meal over, she tailed him walking her back to her room before going to his own, kissing her in a way that made her glad she'd had his first kiss before he got hungry for more…

Walking on the ceiling, she waited for him to shut the door before dropping to the floor and loosing her henge.

"So Uke…" She said to his back. "I like your girlfriend…"

He didn't even react. "I could tell it was you back there… and thanks."

"….."

"How did you get in by the way?"

"Oh… I was let in though the back door because of this." She pulled the hem of the bottom of her shirt away to reveal her curse mark-like birthmark.

"Okay…" He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "So what are you doing here?"

"Research…. And checking on you." She smirked.

"Hn…"

"I've been told by one of the elders of my village that my family had some involvement with Orochimaru…"

"So you're snooping _and_ checking up on me." He snorted. "I can take you to the records room later…"

"Bring your girlfriend so you don't get in the dog house…" She shrugged.

"Fine." He ruffled her hair, walking out if the room and locking the door behind him.

* * *

><p>"…. Sasuke… Orochimaru'll get mad if we break curfew…" Karin's whisper floated down the hall.<p>

"He doesn't care…" Sasuke snorted, pulling her along behind him. "Besides, this is more important than what he thinks…"

"Remind me why this friend is so important?"

He sighed. "This is _that_ strange girl I told you about…"

"…" Her eyes widened. "Oh…"

"So don't freak out or do anything annoying in front of her, I really doubt that she has any ulterior motives and its embarrassing when you get defensive about us…"

She nodded mutely, and they arrived at the door.

Slipping inside, she looked foreword to see a very small person standing on the ceiling in front of her.

"You're Karin? Its nice to meet you… I'm Kiritsu." She held out a hand, grinning, her strange facial marking standing out now that her mask was removed.

* * *

><p>"… So your clan's abilities were used to make the curse seal?" Karin asked later, looking through some of the records in the prison's catacombs with Sasuke's help.<p>

"According to my sources…" Kiritsu looked through another scroll, pausing to see a certain line of text. "… 'a premature girl with purple-black skin and strange black markings on her skin other than the ones she was given(-the curse mark-) was born on July 23, the year after the attack of the Kyuubi in Konoha. Though her mother was a Otogakure medic- _Hey_, I'm really almost fourteen…'

"So that means you might've…" Before the older girl finished her thought, Sasuke grabbed the pair and pulled them away from the rooms.

When she came to her senses, Kiritsu realized they were back in Sasuke's room. "Wha-"

Sasuke turned to her, face unreadable. "Kabuto was down there. You'd better leave now or risk fighting me on your way out."

She nodded, grabbing her bag. "Be careful Uke-kun, everybody hates you back home!"

Quickly, she ran out the door and down towards the exit as fast as she could.

Karin gave Sasuke a smirk. "Uke huh? Oh Sasuke-kun, does this mean I get to have some fun?"

"No." He said, and she shrugged.

"Until then… I guess I'll just keep calling you Uke-kun-"

He grabbed the tops of her arms and shoved her back against the wall, kissing her soundly, making her smirk.

"Well, this fun enough?" He ground out.

"Nope…"

* * *

><p>Kankuro gave Kiritsu a bewildered look while Gaara remained blank-faced.<p>

"Let me get this straight…Sasuke has a girlfriend… and you're really only a little over a year younger than Gaara and the others?" Kankuro said, a little amazed.

"Apparently." Kiritsu smiled and held up the scroll. "See for yourself…"

While the two read the papers, she began to nod off on the counter, leaning heavily against it. Without warning, she leaned too far to one side and began to fall towards the floor, sand catching her before she fell.

"…..!" Her eyes shot open even wider when Gaara appeared from the sand, carrying her bridal style.

He shook his head. _"You're exhausted… tell us about your mission in the morning…"_

"B-but… I need to tell you about the mission… and fill out a mission report… and go to the registry office to apply again…."

"_In the morning…"_ He said calmly. _"That's an order."_

She crossed her arms over her chest with an irritated look. "Hm."

Silently, he took her to her room and put her in bed, closing the door quietly to see Kankuro waiting. Leaning against the wall, the older boy looked like he was just standing there, but Gaara knew it wasn't the case.

"You know how obvious it is, don't you?" He said, looking sideways at his brother with a smirk.

He sighed. _"She's young and strong… she can find her own way without me…"_

"That's bullshit and you know it. She's been apart of our family unofficially for years, and _no one_ except your fan girls would mind if you actually tried-"

"_She deserves better."_

"You're the Kazekage and her closest friend-"

"_I'm a __**monster**__ Kankuro."_

He shook his head. "_When_ are you going to stop thinking that way?"

"…_.."_ He looked at his brother with an empty expression. _"I will __**always**__ be a monster Kankuro… no matter what I do or say…"_

"That's your opinion…" He shrugged. "Bro.. I'm not sure how to convince you that its _okay_ to care about someone romantically. Naruto has a girlfriend-"

"_That's different. Naruto hasn't done anything to Hinata or the people of his village to deserve the title I wear…"_

He made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat. "I guess all I have left to say to you about this tonight is this:…"

Gaara raised the part of his forehead where his eyebrows would've been.

"She may not see it or think of it this way, but the bond you two have is different than any other one she has… And you deserve it no matter what you think…"He rubbed the back of his head and walked down the hall, going into his room and shutting the door with a dull thud.

Gaara stood in the silent hallway for a few moments before turning to sand and going to his office. He had some forms to look over and fill out.

* * *

><p>A few months later, Kiritsu raced through the forest towards another base, wincing as her right shoulder burned, the porcelain mask a raccoon with bandaged eyes.<p>

'It was worth it… now Panda-chan can send me wherever and won't be asked twice…' She thought to herself, frowning. 'Nearly Fourteen and an ANBU… they _should_ be intimidated even thought I'm only B-Ranked in the Bingo books… whoever calls me the _Kazekage's Doll_ should burn…'

With a start, she recognized a group of four or five ninjas running through the woods nearby and masked her chakra to the level of a normal squirrel, hiding in the trees as they walked below. Smothering a snarl with her hand, she spotted Kabuto and some other Oto-nin, neither Sasuke or Karin or any of them someone she knew…

"You two go that way, and your two remaining go this way." Kabuto pointed in the directions instructed. "I'll be covering this area."

"Yes Kabuto-sama…" The said, grins tinged with evil as they left him alone.

'Fuuuu-' She thought, knowing that she couldn't avoid him completely. 'Plus… I need to tell him that I've found out plenty without him…'

"Long time no see Kiritsu… or should I say… 'The Kazekage's Doll'. Really… is that a euphemism for-"

She hurled a kunai at his back and got to another tree, hiding best she could in the foliage.

"My friendship with Gaara-kun is none of your business." She said, lightly blushing with irritation. "You've got some nerve coming out here and spying…"

He shrugged, and she felt something pin her to the tree she was leaning against, swearing. "A shadow clone?"

With a smirk, he put her hands over her head, turning her mask to the side so he could see her face. "I'd think that as an ANBU, you'd have better skills than that…"

Grinning, she brought her knee up… to meet air and growl. "What are you doing in the area anyway?"

"Do you _really_ think I'm going to tell you?" He smirked. "Its just a consolation to see you, if you've been wondering…"

"I haven't. I've been busy and found some records about myself… _When_ were you going to tell me about my birthday?"

He shrugged. "I wanted to give you a surprise gift…"

"Oh?" She struggled, unable to bring chakra to her hands when he disabled her wrists. "Just get on with the theatrics and tell me godamnit…"

A slow smile spread across his lips. "Your mother was killed on an ordered hit… you probably would've still had a mother if she hadn't ran off with you and got herself killed… If her killer had been faster, you'd be an Oto-nin instead of a Suna-nin as well…"

"Who ordered the hit?" She demanded, kicking at him again, putting chakra into her calves and thighs to increase the attack's power.

"Your father." He said calmly.

Before she could demand _who_ her father was and then try to _end_ the white-haired medic, two familiar chakra flairs burned brightly nearby.

"Its so easy to take down those Sound punks with the Giant Rasengan, dattebayo!" Naruto's laugh, slightly deeper, filled her ears, and Kabuto lat go of her, punching her in the gut.

"See ya around Kiritsu…" He whispered, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Choking, she dropped to her knees on the tree branch, landing on her side and making pained noises.

Her eyes watered. "God damnit… I'm fucking selfish…"

Someone landed beside her, and a second later, another did.

"Hey, isn't that Kiri-chan?" Naruto kneeled and touched the side of her face. "You okay?"

Jiraiya sighed when Naruto picked up the groaning girl. "What just happened here?"

"Don't know.. But we should get her back to Suna dattebayo."

* * *

><p>The pair went to the border and dropped her off at an ANBU checkpoint Jiraiya knew from the old days, telling the ninja there where they found her.<p>

A few hours later, Kiritsu did errands for Gaara in the Kazekage building all day, healing up from her injuries, making a promise to herself.

'I'll discover everything about my family with the help of Gaara and my friends… but it won't be priority. I need to be focused on my ANBU duties, not my personal agenda… Gaara needs me here.'

* * *

><p><em>This chapter went through the most edits out of all of them combined, which is why it took so long. Kiritsu has gone through some changes, go to my DA page and look for when I post the new look for her. Currently, her hair is down to the middle of her back, and her normal eye is gold. Her height is now four-foot-nine. She wears the standard Suna Jonin uniform with her own adjustments, which include a mask that goes up and under her forehead protector, and two armbands on each arm. That is, unless she's in her ANBU uniform, which just means that she has a mask attached to her shirt and her ANBU mask.<em>


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